People who live on the west side of Colorado Springs are on the lookout for a mountain lion. Wildlife officials have posted signs in the Broadmoor Bluffs neighborhood with instructions on what to do if you encounter a mountain lion.

It's been a couple of weeks since the sighting, but people in this area are still worried that the animal is nearby. Experts estimate about 4,000 of the stealthy creatures live in Colorado. But mountain lions are rarely seen, so when one is spotted, it can be alarming.

"It does cause some anxieties. I don't have small kids, but I do have pets. We make sure we lock them in at night," says resident Stacy Kruckeberg. A mountain lion was spotted in her neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. And that surprised her. "We never had bear and mountain lion. We had lots of deer and raccoon."

Michael Seraphin with the Colorado Division of Wildlife says, it's not uncommon to see the big cats on the city's west side. "The mountain lions have historically been there--- following primarily deer as their source of prey."

Seraphin says it's best to know what to do if you see a mountain lion. "The first thing you wanna do is try to make yourself look large---to raise your arms up over your head."

And while mountain lions most often prey on pets, small children are at risk too. "Pick your children up, pick them up off the ground and hold them near you. Don't let them run towards the animal in that case the animal will instinctively fight back," says Seraphin.

Here are the expert's tips on what to do if you encounter a mountain lion: