As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, the practices of social distancing and self-isolation have gained popularity, especially amongst younger crowds. Even in Utah, students have begun staying indoors in an effort to slow the illness’s growth rate. But while staying at home is inconvenient for the people, the same cannot be said for the local fauna; literal cougars have been spotted roaming around BYU’s campus while humans are away.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” said BYU student and bird watching enthusiast Benson Hanks. “There I was, sitting outside the WILK, binoculars in hand, getting ready to check out some birds. I spotted some and remember thinking, ‘man, those are the weirdest-looking quail I’ve ever seen.’ But after a closer inspection, I realized that they were, in fact, mountain lions. I’ve never felt so hoodwinked!”

Similar reports have been made by several other students and faculty members; cougars have been reported to be all across campus, with sightings on the rise.

“I walked by the Cougareat, and there were a couple of them inside!” said Emma-leigh Kennedy, another BYU student. “It looked like they were ordering food. They waited for their order, then took the meal to go. I was amazed. It’s so cool to know that animal life would just keep on going like normal if humans were out of the picture.”

When pressed for details, the cougars said they’d prefer if people kept their distance at this time.