Homeowner captures 'shocking' footage of feline predator stalking around backyard: 'I have never seen one like that before'

Seeing wild animals in their natural habitats can be both a thrill and a reminder of the wide range of majestic creatures with whom people share the natural environment. 

When those sightings occur close to home, however, that thrill can turn into something much more frightening. 

Such was the case for one resident of the small Northern California city of Sebastopol, who was stunned to come home and discover a mountain lion right in her own backyard. 

"I have never seen one like that before," said Debbie Conti, according to the Sebastopol Times. "It's shocking to see one — and then to see one right in your backyard, outside your window, is very shocking." 

Thankfully, Conti had been alerted to the presence of a mountain lion in the area by texts in a neighborhood group chat. Otherwise, she might have let her dog out to run around as usual. 

"If it weren't for this neighborhood group text thread that we have, I would not have known that this was happening, and my dog would have just been out in the backyard," said Conti, per the Times. "It could have been a bad situation."

As human development has expanded further and further into wildlife habitats, human-wildlife conflicts have increased. Additionally, largely because of internet news and social media, these interactions have garnered much more attention than they did previously. 

Thankfully, however, experts say that it remains rare for such encounters to turn dangerous. 

"There is a lot of attention around these attacks, but in reality the number of attacks is very low," said Vincenzo Penteriani, a researcher for the Spanish National Research Council, according to the BBC.

Still, experts caution that humans should respect wildlife and take simple precautions to stay safe.

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These include always keeping children under close supervision, maintaining a safe distance from wildlife, and putting pets on leashes.

As for Conti, though she and her dog escaped the mountain lion sighting unscathed, it made her think twice about going into her yard.

"I thought, 'How am I gonna sit outside on my patio now?'" she said.

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