Usually, when someone spots a mountain lion on a home-security camera, it’s a lone lion. (And that’s newsworthy enough for most homeowners.) But these Montecito, California homeowners had a whole family of mountain lions cruising through their backyard, and the Nest-cam footage is likely the only evidence the cats were even there.
Montecito is a semi-rural community outside of Santa Barbara on the central coast of California. Known for being home to some extremely wealthy people (like Oprah), Montecito is sandwiched between the Los Padres National Forest and the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, the area is also home to wildlife, including mountain lions.
The Montecito Association shared the Nest-cam footage of the mountain lion family on Instagram. Many commenters expressed awe and wonder. Some felt uncomfortable that the lions came so close to home.
In the video, you can see what appears to be a mom mountain lion and two of her cubs as they peacefully pass through the backyard. Lagging a little behind, a third cub then passes through to follow its family.
Watch a family of mountain lions cruise through a California backyard here:
How would you feel if this was footage from your backyard?