Mountain Lion on Oahu? Officials Search for Large Mystery Animal

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Earlier this week, a man spotted what appeared to be a large wild cat on the mountainside near the University of Hawaii Manoa on Oahu. It looks like a mountain lion. The thing is, there isn’t supposed to be a mountain lion on Oahu—or anywhere on Hawaii—because they don’t live there.

“The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) are responding to reports of a large cat seen near the University of Hawaii at Manoa this week,” wrote Island News in an Instagram post sharing the mysterious images. “An East-West Center employee at the Manoa campus called the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) about the large cat they saw near the center this afternoon.”

Wildlife officials reportedly spent hours searching for the animal in the Waahila Ridge area. They searched on foot and used a drone to try to spot it from above. However, they haven’t been able to locate anything suspicious. Now, officials are asking the public to be careful.

See for yourself. What does this mystery animal look like to you?

Check out Island News‘ report about the potential mountain-lion sighting on Oahu here:

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Officials ask locals to contact DOCARE at 808-643-DLNR (3567) if they have any additional information.

Header stock image by Javier Marcos/Getty Images

Source: https://outdoors.com/mountain-lion-on-oahu-officials-search-for-large-mystery-animal/