Originally reported by Oil City News — Trevor T. Trujillo 

CASPER — Natrona County Sheriff’s Deputies say that they’ve received reports of a mountain lion in Rotary Park, south of Casper.

Sgt. Taylor Courtney with the NCSO says that the lion was spotted by hikers on an upper trail of Rotary Park. The hikers saying that the mountain lion did not make any aggressive moves, and eventually left sight.

The report was made at 7:48 am, Wednesday.

County Parks and Game and Fish have been notified.

“It’s not unusual for Rotary Park to have mountain lions,” Courtney explained. “We have lots of them up there, along with black bear.

The following tips for safety around Mountain Lions was supplied by the National Park Services.

• When it comes to personal safety, always be aware of your surroundings, wherever you are; conduct yourself and attend to children and dependents accordingly.
• If you encounter a cougar, make yourself appear larger, more aggressive. Open your jacket, raise your arms, and throw stones, branches, etc., without turning away. Wave raised arms slowly, and speak slowly, firmly, loudly to disrupt and discourage predatory behavior
• Never run past or from a cougar. This may trigger their instinct to chase. Make eye contact. Stand your ground. Pick up small children without, if possible, turning away or bending over.
• Never bend over or crouch down. Doing so causes humans to resemble four-legged prey animals. Crouching down or bending over also makes the neck and back of the head vulnerable.
• Try to remain standing to protect head and neck and, if attacked, fight back with whatever is at hand (without turning your back)—people have utilized rocks, jackets, garden tools, tree branches, and even bare hands to turn away cougars.
• Don’t approach a cougar. Most cougars want to avoid humans. Give a cougar the time and space to steer clear of you.
• Supervise children, especially outdoors between dusk and dawn. Educate them about cougars and other wildlife they might encounter.
• Always hike, backpack, and camp in wild areas with a companion.
• Don’t feed wildlife. Don’t leave food outside. Both may attract cougars by attracting their natural prey.
• Keep pets secure. Roaming pets are easy prey for cougars