Mountain Lion Spotted on Idaho College Campus

It's not something you want to find as you walk to your math class, but a mountain lion was spotted on this Idaho college campus.

The mountain lion stayed in a tree along Red Hill Trail on the campus of Idaho State University on Friday in Pocatello.

The first sighting was called in at about 10:30 a.m. yesterday. To ensure the safety of students and staff, the Pocatello Police Department and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game secured the scene and tranquilized the mountain lion.

Luckily the mountain lion was able to be taken away safely and without harm and law enforcement reacted quickly enough that no one was injured.

According to the Idaho State Journal, mountain lions are prevalent enough in the Pocatello area that sightings like this one pop-up around campus every few years.

If you ever have a run-in with a mountain lion contact authorities immediately if you can. If you don't have that opportunity, go against your instinct and don't run away from the lion. Instead, make yourself as large as possible, throw things at it, and try to become as intimidating as possible. NPS.gov also says you should never crouch down and try to back away slowly from the mountain lion until you reach safety.