A mountain lion was seen Tuesday near Allan Hancock College's Lompoc campus.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife says a maintenance worker spotted the lion at around 11:30 a.m. near the botanical gardens, which is an open space and trail area on the northern part of the campus adjacent to hiking trails.
Fish and Wildlife says there were no reports that the mountain lion was acting out of the ordinary and they don't know its size.
Students and staff were notified of the sighting and told to stay indoors. Warning signs have also gone up on campus.
Deer are the main food source for mountain lions. Fish and wildlife experts say an adult lion can feed off a large deer for an entire week.
If the mountain lion spotted Tuesday is seen again, officials say they will try to find the food source and remove it.
Wildlife officials call the mountain lion population near Vandenberg Village "healthy" due to the number of sightings.
In recent months, three mountain lions have been hit and killed along a stretch of Highway 1 from Vandenberg Air Force Base to Vandenberg Village.
Wildlife officers from the base have been collecting the carcasses so fish and wildlife biologists can then gather data from them.
If someone encounters a mountain lion, wildlife officials say do not turn around and run. Instead, act large, make noise, yell and throw things at it such as sticks and rocks to make it go away.
