Sounds in Riverside not the roaming mountain lion, but red foxes, officials say

Screaming animal sounds heard in Wichita’s Riverside neighborhood Friday morning did not come from the mountain lion spotted in the neighborhood earlier this week but from red foxes, officials said.

“Thanks to the efforts of (Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism), we have determined the “screaming” sounds are that of Red Foxes, who are indulging in the mating season.” Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple said Friday on Twitter. “Good for them.”

Residents reported through a Facebook group that they thought the screaming noises they heard Friday morning were from the mountain lion spotted on a security camera earlier this week, according to Wichita spokeswoman Megan Lovely. The mountain lion was the first one verified in any Kansas city.

“The (KDWPT) reported to us that they believe that the mountain lion moved on earlier this week, and that the sounds reported were more in line with the sounds of red foxes, which of course are native to the neighborhood,” Lovely said in an email.

Foxes have different sounds that they make. The screaming-like howl is most often heard during breeding season, in the springtime, according to the Chesapeake Bay Program. It is mostly done by females to lure males, but males have been known to occasionally make the sounds as well.