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Mountain lions spotted in Billings area

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Posted at 6:49 AM, May 24, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-24 08:49:51-04

BILLINGS — Here in Montana you expect to see wildlife just about anywhere, but rarely are mountain lions spotted in the state's most heavily populated city.

One of the big cats was spotted by Zack Jones at his condo near the intersection of 9th Street West and Avenue B. Jones captured a video of the mountain lion on a neighbor's back porch.

"I believe the lion was there all day as I heard from another community member that it tried to get into the house Friday morning," Jones said. "So I looked at my camera footage and around 8:15 p.m. I saw the cougar."

Late last week, a Yellowstone County Sheriff's deputy spotted a cougar on 17th Street West and Rimrock Road right before the lion ran off towards the rims.

Cougar Spotted on 17th Street West and Rimrock Road
Cougar on 17th Street West and Rimrock Road

Those weren't the only sightings within the past week. D Alex Tillery spotted a mountain lion near the intersection of Emerald Hills Drive and Pine Valley.

Mountain Lion Spotted
Mountain Lion Spotted

These sightings across the Billings area are worrying residents.

"You know there is a middle school right over there, Lewis and Clark, and our beautiful golden retriever and other neighbors with dogs. We don't want anyone to get hurt in this situation," says Billings resident, Ella Barthel.

Morgan Higgins, another Billings resident, is also worried about these frequent sightings.

"So, the first sighting was only 4 minutes away from our house. Once I saw the first one I was like, we are not letting our dog out alone anymore," says Higgins, "I have been terrified myself."

It's evident this majestic creature is looking for food. So, make sure to not leave your dogs unattended and keep your garbage in your garages.