A trail camera captured images last week of a mountain lion in a field just east of Lincoln, near U.S. 34 and the MoPac Trail.
The state Game and Parks Commission confirmed the sighting through the photos, which were taken Dec. 9, according to a press release.
It was likely a young animal on the move searching for new territory, the release said, though the commission asked that anybody who spots the big cat — or takes more photos of it — contact its Lincoln office at 402-471-0641 or .
The confirmation comes several days after the commission verified mountain lion tracks found near Northeast Community College in Norfolk, and less than three months after a high school student struck and killed a mountain lion with her car near Fullerton.
Those reports were also characterized as mountain lions on the move, and not evidence of resident populations other than those in the Niobrara River Valley, Wildcat Hills and Pine Ridge regions.
Mountain lions are secretive and typically flee humans, the release said. But interactions occasionally occur -- when people venture into wild areas or when mountain lions move into populated areas with deer densities.
The commission recommended the following if you see a lion:
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* Don’t approach it.
* Leave it an avenue of escape.
*Â Stay calm and move slowly.
* Back away if you can; don’t turn your back on the lion and start running.
*Â Raise your arms or backpack to appear larger.
*Â Prevent your children from running.
But if you are attacked, fight back, the commission said. Use your hands, rocks or any other object, and try to remain on your feet.
Beginning next year, in what will be the seventh mountain lion hunting season approved by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, the Niobrara River Valley will join the Pine Ridge as the state’s second region approved for harvesting the species.