PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle have been put on alert after a mountain lion was caught on camera prowling their hometown in California.
The couple are being urged to secure their $14.6 mansion in the celebrity enclave of Montecito against attack.
It comes after the big cat was spotted just five miles away from where the couple live with their son Archie, three, and one-year-old daughter Lilibet.
The shocking video obtained by The Sun was filmed by a security camera late on July 23.
Locals believe the ambush predator may have moved into inhabited areas in search of water after the region has been hit by drought.
And a chicken coop that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex keep at their property could make it a target.
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Sharon Byrne, executive director of the Montecito Association which counts Harry, 37, and Meghan, 41, as members, said last night: “We don’t know if the mountain lion is male or female.
“That part of Montecito is a very rural, very mountainous area, the kind of habitat for mountain lions.
“There’s a drought on here in California so he or she was probably looking for water and whatever food could be scavenged, so that’s why they headed to where people live.
“So far, all we have is this one sighting.
“But the fact we have security footage shows though that residents are taking this seriously as it was shot by a camera which is what we’ve been urging residents to install.
“We want all locals to secure their homes and secure their chicken coops and whatever other animals they may have.
“Chickens can be a fast, easy source of food for hunting animals so they have to be safe and secure.
“We also urge residents to secure their garbage so animals can go rummaging around for scraps, to have night lighting, alarms, cameras and so on.
“Mountain lions are solitary creatures and ultimately, they don’t want to be around people so we’re hoping this one moves on by itself.”
LAST FATAL MAULING
Meghan – who celebrated her 41st birthday on Thursday – and Harry showed off their chicken coop during their interview with Oprah Winfrey in March last year.
The couple also own two rescue dogs who would be at risk in case of an attack.
The last fatal mountain lion mauling in California was in 2004 when a 35-year-old man was killed at the Whiting Ranch Regional Park in Orange County, south of Los Angeles.
A nine-year-old boy was the last victim in the Montecito area when he was attacked at the Gaviota State Park in 1992.
The boy survived but needed 600 stitches from more than 50 puncture wounds, while the cat believed to have been responsible was shot and killed by trackers two weeks later.
Secretive and mostly solitary, mountain lions – also known as pumas or cougars – are the second largest cat in the Americas after the jaguar.
The biggest cougars can weigh up to 220lbs and measure as much as 9ft from nose to tail tip.
'SCARED'
Following the sighting in Montecito, another local source told The Sun that the resident who caught the mountain lion on video had only recently put up outdoor cameras.
The source said: “There are all kinds of animals in the neighbourhood – coyotes, bears and deer – but it’s rare to see a mountain lion.
“We’re in a drought so the animals are thirsty but also there have been fires and a mudslide in recent years which seems to have brought down the bigger animals.
“People in the area feel safe during the day but they’re taking precautions during the night.
“I would be very scared if I came across that mountain lion in person rather than on video.
“That’s not something any of us ever wants to have to deal with, a real life lion in your backyard."
A female black bear which had previously been spotted in the A list-packed town was killed in a hit-and-run accident in May in the same area where the mountain lion was seen last week.
Tim Daly, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said: “Our biologist in the area says it’s not unexpected for mountain lions to be in that part of the region.
“There’s lots of open space nearby, and the properties in that community tend to be large, with lots of cover.”
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