Bobcat sighting turned out to be mountain lion, older kitten in northwest Las Vegas valley
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — It’s been nearly a year since Nevada wildlife officials captured and euthanized a mountain lion in the northwest valley, but a sighting at the beginning of November is a reminder that the predators have been known to show up in the area.
A Facebook post on Nov. 1 (since removed) advised families that the baseball fields near Elkhorn Road and U.S. 95 were closed, canceling games and practices for Mountain Ridge Little League. The fields reopened the following day.
An initial report indicated, “Two bobcats have decided to take up baseball.” A spokesman for the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) said the cats turned out to be an adult female mountain lion and an older kitten. There have been no additional sightings reported.
Why are the big cats coming into the valley? It could be that development over the years has swallowed up habitat. And that development is happening faster than ever.
“With the increased presence of people in the park, the animals took refuge in a nearby section of the flood control system,” according to NDOW.
When NDOW dealt with the mountain lion last year, it became a public safety issue because the animal “showed no inclination to leave the area when pressured.” The mountain lion was captured at around 4 a.m. on Dec. 7, 2022 — a relief to a resident who had spotted the animal on their Ring doorbell camera in Skye Canyon.
Another mountain lion was shot and killed in January 2022 near El Capitan Way and Flamingo. That followed 50 sightings over the course of a year, NDOW said.
News reports from 2020 and 2021 showed sightings concentrated in the Summerlin South area, but those stopped when NDOW killed the mountain lion in January 2022.
Since then, news reports show sightings have been sporadic. There was a sighting in Spring Valley in early May of 2022.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
