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The mountain lion was first spotted around 5 a.m. Saturday near the Oakridge mobile home park, near Foothill Blvd. and Glenoaks Blvd. in the Sylmar neighborhood, Fox 11 reported.
Authorities issued a “wildlife warning” for the San Fernando Valley following the incident, according to the outlet.
Resident Rey Constante was walking home when he noticed the puma on a gray pit bull with a leash still attached.
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A mountain lion killed a family's pit bull in Los Angeles, California. (U.S. National Park Service via AP)
“A huge mountain lion just killed our neighbor’s dog. I’m concerned for the owners as the dog was still on a leash. This beautiful pit bull is dead,” Constante wrote on Facebook. “Oakridge residents, do not walk your pets at night, this animal is still roaming around untagged waiting for the next victim.”
“He looked up and growled at me…and I said, ‘wow,’…I was surprised,” he told Fox 11.
A person in another vehicle honked and scared the puma away, the outlet reported.
The dog, five-year-old Gigi, had recently been adopted by the Southern California Pit Bull Rescue, which is retaining the dog's remains to be turned over to California Fish and Wildlife for its investigation, according to Fox 11.
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Authorities issued a “wildlife warning” for the San Fernando Valley following the incident. (iStock)
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“Dear Sylmar Neighbors, As we know, living in this wonderful community, we coexist with an abundance of wildlife. Coyotes, raccoons, opossums, the occasional bear, and lately a rather large mountain lion. (Maybe a few of them,” the Sylmar Neighborhood Council wrote on its website.)
Officials are urging residents to take necessary precautions to protect themselves, including avoiding jogging or hiking alone and keeping children close by, according to National Park Service guidelines.
If a puma is spotted, residents are asked not to approach the animal, not to run away and not to crouch or crouch. Residents should try to appear taller by raising their arms and should fight back if attacked, the instructions said.