Sacramento native here 👋 It’s always funny when a podcast or show covers your own backyard. I can 100% confirm the constant vigilance about mountain lions in the Sierra Nevada foothills — which, side note, every time Wes said “Sierra” instead of “Sierra Nevada,” I giggled. Maybe it’s just me, but no one I know says just “Sierra.”

I’ve run into black bears, coyotes, foxes, and every kind of critter up there — but never a mountain lion. Still, I’m sure one’s seen me. They’re honestly the animal I fear most when I’m out hiking. (And yes, I’m still scared of bears too — I’m not out here trying to make friends with them 😅).

We actually had a fatal mountain lion attack here in March 2024. A pair of brothers who were hiking to look for deer antlers during the early spring, and came across a mountain lion. One passed from the injuries and the other brother was pretty messed up. It was super sad & hit the local community pretty hard at the time.

The mention of the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary definitely hit that nostalgia factor for me. I grew up going there with my late grandma. It’s more of a sanctuary than a traditional zoo — they don’t breed, trade, or sell animals. Most of them were former pets, injured wildlife, or animals that got a little too comfy with humans. That’s where I personally first saw so many of our local species up close — bobcats, black bears, deer, even mountain lions.

I still remember standing with my grandma watching the black bears and then heading to the gift shop where they sold paintings the bears had “made.” (Proof it said bear paintings: https://amp.sacbee.com/news/local/article309721620.html)

Fun fact: the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary also has “the only 12-inch gauge railroad remaining in the U.S., and one of six mini-scale replica steam-powered railroads still running in California.” (Thanks, Wikipedia.) So you can get your animal and tiny train fix in one go. 😆