EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was published in September 2010.
The Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center in southwestern Indiana has warned workers to watch out for a suspected mountain lion that has been spotted in the area.
Crane officials said that four people have made unconfirmed sightings of a possible mountain lion since Aug. 5 on or near the base about 25 miles southwest of Bloomington.
The state Department of Natural Resources confirmed instances of a mountain lion in nearby Greene and Clay counties in the past year.
In that incident, a motion-sensitive game camera caught a picture of the huge cat.
Those were the first confirmations of the animals in the state since the 1860s.
Biologists said male mountain lions can weigh up to 150 pounds and females about 90 pounds.
DNR spokesman Phil Bloom said earlier this year that people should 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.
