BroncoAlert: Mountain lion in Boise Greenbelt near Capitol

Boise State University issued an alert Monday afternoon warning students and staff to avoid part of the Greenbelt on the edge of campus after a mountain lion was spotted in the area.

The first BroncoAlert, sent out at 3 p.m., said the animal was seen near Capitol Boulevard and 9th Street on the northwest edge of campus. No further details were provided, but university officials said an update would follow. Shortly after 3:30 p.m., a BroncoAlert said it could not locate the mountain lion while checking the area.

Brian Pearson, a spokesman for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s southwest region, said in an email to the United States that a conservation officer responded to the area to confirm two sightings.

Pearson said Ada County Emergency Management reported two sightings, both of juvenile mountain lions around 2:42 p.m. One reporting party said the cat was near the pedestrian bridge to Ann Morrison Park, while another reported seeing the animal on the south side of the river near the red railroad trestle bridge west of Shoreline Drive and Boulevard of the Americas.

Early Monday morning, Fish and Game warned tenants of a building on Park Boulevard that a mountain lion had been spotted in a commercial parking lot west of the MK Nature Center heading toward the Greenbelt.

Last month, a mountain lion was caught on doorbell cameras roaming backyards in Boise and Garden City at night. Fish and Game officials said the cat was behaving normally and likely using the Boise River as a corridor.

Safety tips from Fish and Game if you see a mountain lion

▪ Never run away. Mountain lions chase animals they see as prey.

▪ Never turn your back. Face the beast and make yourself as big as possible. Scream or yell at the animal, but don’t scream—loud screams can sound like a wounded animal.

▪ Back away slowly and maintain eye contact with the mountain lion.

▪ Use bear spray, noisemakers such as air horns and bright lights to deter the animal.

▪ If attacked, fight back.

This story was originally published October 17, 2022, at 4:00 p.m.