Mountain lion seen in Madison County in Iowa

Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Multiple witnesses have reported mountain lion sightings in Madison County, Iowa according to local police.

The Madison County Sheriff's office posted video of a mountain lion roaming through the woods outside of St. Charles along with a photo taken from a trail cam near New Virginia in Warren County. It's not known if the images show the same animal.

The video evidence comes after multiple eyewitnesses reported seeing mountain lions in the area. The sheriff's office doesn't think the mountain lions are a threat to the public because the sightings have been away from populated areas.

Mountain lions do not have any wildlife protections in Iowa, but the Department of Natural Resources does not encourage people to kill the animals. Instead citizens are encouraged to report sightings to the Department and to frighten the animals away by making loud noises, throwing objects, and slowly backing off.

If attacked citizens are encouraged to use sharp objects to attack the mountain lion's eyes, though the Department of Natural Resources emphasizes that attacks on humans are very rare.