Police in Duluth, Minnesota, say a mountain lion has been spotted in the city recently.

The Duluth Police Department said "there is no further action that law enforcement will be taking," but that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is "aware of the animal."

"As with any wild animal, we want to remind the community that you should exercise caution in their presence and never approach them," the police department said.  

According to the DNR, mountain lions — also called cougars — "are rarely seen but occasionally do appear" in Minnesota, and human encounters with the cats are "extremely rare."

"While evidence might suggest the animal's prevalence is increasing, the number of verified cougar observations indicate that cougar occurrence in Minnesota is a result of transient animals from the Western Dakotas," the DNR said.

Since 2004, there have been just 107 verified cougar sightings across the state, and some of those sightings could be the same animal. Anyone who sees a cougar is asked to report it to the agency, and photograph the animal or any other evidence, like tracks, if you can do so safely.

WCCO has reached out to the DNR for more information about the animal seen in Duluth.

In 2023, a cougar was caught on camera prowling the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis. The animal was later hit and killed by a driver along Interstate 394. A community fundraising effort earned enough to taxidermize the cat for public display.