With national parks closed during the government shutdown, it appears nature is coming to us.
Police in the District of Columbia say they have received reports that a mountain lion is prowling the streets of Southeast.
There have been two alleged sightings of a big cat so far, but reports remains unconfirmed, CBS DC reported.
Mayor Vincent C. Gray's Office of Neighborhood Engagement took to Twitter and Facebook Wednesday night to warn residents of the potential threat (in all caps, no less).
“DANGER — PUBLIC SAFETY ALERT MOUNTAIN LION SPOTTED 3600 BLOCK OF HIGHWOOD DR SE.," the posts read.
Linda Miley called police Wednesday night to report she had seen what appeared to be a mountain lion in her back yard, the Washington Post reported.
“It was really scary,” Miley said. “I got the shock of my life.”
Her neighbors, along with some experts, aren't buying it.
“I’m 99 percent sure it’s not real,” said Ken Miller, co-founder of the Cougar Network, a nonprofit group devoted to studying cougar habitat.
While police are on the lookout, officers haven't been able to corroborate the reports.
This isn't the first time D.C. has received reports of a mountain lion. Two years ago, a woman claimed to have seen a large cat stalking about. Police, park rangers and biologists looked into the report, but ultimately found no sign of a big cat.
Mountain lions are most common in the West. In 2011, a mountain lion was found perched in a tree on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder. It was successfully tranquilized and relocated, the CU Independent reported.
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