Burnett Elementary School keeps doors closed while big cat roams
nearby
Burnett Elementary School students were kept in their classrooms for 30 minutes Thursday morning after a mountain lion was seen nearby.
But as soon as sheriff’s deputies arrived with tranquilizer guns, the animal bounded off toward Fisher Creek, heading southwest and away from the school. Burnett School is located at Tilton and Dougherty avenues northwest of the city.
Deputies told school authorities shortly after 9:30am there was no more danger.
Police were notified shortly after 8am that a mountain lion was in a tree at 85 Madrone Ave., about a half mile north of the school.
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived and found that the cat had moved to a tree at 10971 Dougherty, closer to the school.
Deputies tried to get a clear shot to tranquilize the animal but it ran off.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Al Holborn, who was in charge of the detail, saw the mountain lion when it decided to leave.
“It was just loping along toward the creek,” Holborn said. “We were hoping to tranquilize it.”
Deputy Daniel Almquist said he and other deputies had followed, “beating the bushes” but, except for a burst of rabbits leaving the creek in a hurry, no sign of the animal was seen.
“It must be hunkered down,” Almquist said.
Deputies had notified nearby neighbors as well as the school.
On Friday, police were called to a nearby home on Madrone Avenue for another possible mountain lion sighting. Cpl. Dave Leonard said officers found a large, tan feral cat that could have been mistaken for a mountain lion.
At Burnett School, lead teacher Teresa Sermersheim said the school was not on “lock down,” but students were behind closed doors.
“Lockdown when we lock the doors, pull the shades and have the children get under their desks,” Sermersheim said. “The danger this morning did not warrant that level.”
Sermersheim said the youngsters knew what was going on.
“We let the teachers tell them,” she said. “We used the analogy of seat belts – we just want to be safe; we don’t expect an accident and this morning we didn’t expect the mountain lion to appear at school. But it could happen.”
Mountain lion sightings in the east and west hills surrounding Morgan Hill are increasingly common as civilization extends further into the animals’ natural habitat.
In March 2004 three older cubs were found in a residential backyard next to Shadow Mountain School at Llagas and Hale avenues. One escaped and was killed by a passing car; a second one was tranquilized and later released. The third was shot and killed by police after tranquilizer darts failed to work and the animal tried to get into a house.
Chief of Police Bruce Cumming told the City Council Friday that, because of this incident when the department heard from an irate public displeased that the cat was killed, Animal Control Officer Daniel Pina has been trained as a certified tranquilizing officer. The darts he will use on future troublesome mountain lions have a radio tracking device.
“The cats don’t just fall down right away, despite what you see on television,” Cumming said. “We need to know where they go.”
Mountain lions also have been sighted at the Gavilan College campus south of Gilroy and in the hills east of Morgan Hill.
Carol Holzgrafe covers City Hall for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at ch********@mo*************.com or phoning (408) 779-4106 Ext. 201.
