Prince Harry, Meghan Markle warned of wild threat near Montecito home

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been warned to lock down their home after a mountain lion was spotted roaming dangerously close to their Montecito mansion in Santa Barbara, California.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex should add the threat of wild animals to their list of things to worry about at their home aside from human intruders. It is said that they, along with fellow Montecito residents, have been warned to be extra cautious after security footage caught the animal prowling a neighbour's driveway about five miles away from their mansion.

It is believed that the lion may have come down from the hills to where people live in search of food and water to scavenge given the drought currently crippling California. Executive Director of the Montecito Association, Sharon Byrne, advised residents who have animals in their home, including chickens, to be very careful.

She told The Sun, "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...So far, all we have is this one sighting."

However, the fact that there is security footage of the animal shows that "residents are taking this seriously as it was shot by a camera" which is what the residents have been urged to install. Byrne encouraged "all locals to secure their homes and secure their chicken coops and whatever other animals they may have."

She also urged residents "to secure their garbage so animals can't go rummaging around for scraps, to have night lighting, alarms, cameras and so on." She shared her hope that the mountain lion seen prowling near the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's home will just move on since these wild animals are generally "solitary creatures and ultimately, they don't want to be around people."

Aside from two dogs, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle revealed during their Oprah interview in 2021 that they are also taking care of rescue chickens. Byrne said that "chickens can be a fast, easy source of food for hunting animals so they have to be safe and secure."