A mountain lion was spotted on campus Wednesday night. It was the fourth time in five years that the big cats have been seen on university property.

About 10 p.m. Nov. 16, campus police got a call from an emergency kiosk in student Lot F at the south end of campus. When they responded, police spotted the mountain lion, or cougar, heading back up into the hills near Lot F, according to university spokeswoman, Margaret Lutz.

Lutz said it was the first time a mountain lion had been seen on campus since October of last year (lions were also spotted several times at the south end of campus in 2007 and 2008).

“With so much open space in the area, we have a lot of wildlife that comes on campus at nights looking for food. People say they’ve spotted deer. The mountain lions always seem to show up in the fall months and they usually always hunt alone,” Lutz said.

Cougars are native to the area and CSUSM’s official mascot. The campus is built on Luiseño Indian land. The university’s original mascot was Tukwut, cougar, in Luiseño.

Although there’s never been a dangerous encounter between a mountain lion and students or faculty, Lutz said the California Department of Fish and Game is advising students to avoid walking alone on campus at night. If you encounter a mountain lion, do not run (because it will trigger the cat’s instinct to chase) but stand your ground, wave your arms and make noise to scare it off. If a lion is spotted, call campus police from a kiosk or from a cell phone at 760-750-4567.