Harry and Meghan’s family idyll in California is disturbed by an uninvited and dangerous guest. A sighting of a cougar has Montecito residents panicking. The ex-Royals also have to worry about their safety.
Montecito – In July 2020, Prince Harry (37) and Meghan Markle (41) settled in posh Montecito. The two dropouts live in the middle of an exclusive residential area that still has unexpected encounters in store.
Security camera captures mountain lions near Harry and Meghan’s mansion
As security camera footage obtained by The Sun shows, a puma is up to mischief in Montecito. The predator is said to have been spotted around five miles from Harry and Meghan’s villa. The 14 million property has a pool, a tennis court, a large garden – and a chicken coop that could attract the mountain lion.
Pumas usually avoid human contact, but hunger and thirst may have led the animal to the busy region. “This part of Montecito is a very rural, very mountainous area, the kind of habitat for mountain lions. We’re having a drought here in California right now, so he or she was probably looking for water and […] food,” said Sharon Byrne of the Montecito Association when asked by The Sun.
The last Puma attack in Harry and Meghan’s adopted home of California was a few months ago
In California, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, there are very few cougar attacks on humans each year, with one confirmed in May 2022 so far. The last fatal attack occurred in January 2004.
The Sussexes – parents to Archie, three, and Lilibet, two, two – shouldn’t just be worried about a potential predator encounter because of their pets. The couple is currently not allowed to rest, and Harry’s great homesickness for England is a heavy burden on Meghan. Sources used: thesun.co.uk, wildlife.ca.gov
