One of the sightings was by a Lawrence County police officer, who spotted a mountain lion eating a deer carcass along Indiana 37 north of Bedford over the weekend.
Lawrence County Sheriff Sam Craig told The Times-Mail that while he doesn't want to alarm people, he wants residents to take proper precautions. Three other sightings were reported to the department last week.
State officials have confirmed instances of mountain lions in nearby Greene and Clay counties in the past year. The animals had last been confirmed in the 1860s.
Conservation officers say people shouldn't make rapid or aggressive movements toward the big cats.
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From May 7. 2010
Mountain Lion Spotted In Rural Greene County
theindychannel - A mountain lion has been captured on camera roaming in rural Greene County, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said.
The huge cat was caught by motion-sensitive game cameras east of Bloomfield last week after reports of mountain lion activity in the area, said spokesman Phil Bloom.
Without additional evidence, DNR officials said it's impossible to say if the mountain lion photographed in Greene County is wild or is a formerly captive cat.
The chance of encountering a mountain lion in Indiana is almost non-existent, with the last confirmed case of a wild cat in Indiana somewhere between 1850 and 1865, according to the DNR.
Still, Bloom said people should be alert to their surroundings, and not try to approach, corner or run from a mountain lion.
Instead, the DNR urges people to stand and face and animal, make eye contact and try to appear as large as possible. If confronted by a mountain lion, a person should wave their arms slowly and speak firmly in a loud voice, Bloom said.
Mountain lions are a protected species in Indiana, but state law allows a resident landowner or tenant to kill a mountain lion while it is causing damage to property.
Another Big Cat Confirmed Roaming Southern Indiana
