A mountain lion was found dead alongside a road north of Rancho Penasquitos Thursday.
San Diego police officers said they received a call from someone driving along Carmel Valley Road near Winecreek Road reporting a mountain lion along the roadway.
The call came in around 6:20 a.m. officers said.
The mountain lion looks to weigh about 100 lbs according to police.
Officers had no information on what may have caused the animal's death. They are on scene waiting for U.S. Fish and Game to arrive and investigate.
There are far more reported sightings of mountain lions in San Diego County than attacks. According to the California Department of Fish and Game, there have been two verified mountain lion attacks in San Diego. Both attacks occurred in Cuyamca State Park. The first in Sept. 1993 when a mountain lion was shot and killed by park rangers after attacking a girl and her dog. In Dec. 1994, an attack killed a 56-year old woman.
Local researchers, using global positioning satellite equipment and infrared cameras, tracked mountain lions several years ago and were surprised to find the animals often come much closer to populated areas than previously thought -- sometimes within a couple of hundred feet of buildings at night, according to our media partners the North County Times.
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It is against state law to kill a mountain lion in California. Fish and Game wardens and law enforcement officials have the power to override the law, though, in situations where a lion is deemed a threat to public safety.
