A man camping at Leo Carrillo State Park had a very close encounter with a mountain lion.
Kevin Bellante told KNX News’ Karen Adams it was around 8:30 p.m. when it happened.
“I just had to go check some work emails,” he said. “So I went down to the ranger station, and I was sitting there for a couple of minutes, and then just out from around the darkness, a not huge mountain lion came around the corner. It came up. It just looked at me, and then walked on by.”
@knxnews A man camping at Leo Carrillo State Park was checking his emails when he came across a mountain lion.
Bellante said he thinks he was able to stay calm because he’d had six beers.
“But I didn't want to scare it and it kind of seemed like it didn't really see me as any sort of danger,” he said.
He said the big cat was heading in the direction of where his family and friends were camped out, so he alerted the ranger. He then went to tell his family and friends, who didn’t believe him.
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“Nobody really believed me until I got a hold of the footage,” he said. “Everybody thought I was just, you know, telling a tall tale there with after six beers.”
Bellante said his close encounter is a reminder to respect all wildlife and give them space.
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