COUGARS RETREAT QUICKLY FROM VALLEY, OFFICIALS SAY.

Byline: David R. Baker Daily News Staff Writer

As mysteriously as they appeared, the mountain lions spotted roaming the San Fernando Valley earlier in the week have vanished.

Los Angeles animal control officials reported no new cougar sightings Thursday or Friday, after fielding six sightings Wednesday alone.

``We're hoping they've wandered back into the hills,'' said Lt. Richard Felosky with the city's West Valley animal shelter.

That's not to say Valley residents have forgotten about the big cats.

One Tarzana resident Friday reported finding cougar tracks in the mud, said Officer Dennis Kroeplin of the East Valley animal shelter. But judging from the prints' size - not to mention the number of toes - they were actually the work of a common raccoon, Kroeplin said.

Wildlife experts said the cougars - however many were actually here - might just have been exploring the Valley's edge.

``They'll often move through an area, use it for a while and leave,'' said Morgan Wehtje, a wildlife biologist with California's Department of Fish and Game.

Although cougars can be deadly, killing a 4-year-old boy in Colorado this year, usually they avoid human contact. California officials estimate the state's cougar population at 4,000 to 6,000 but concede that the number could be just a guess.

Earlier in the week, authorities searched for a cougar spotted prowling Community Street in West Hills. They found nothing, and decided to wait for another sighting before embarking on another search.

Experts speculate that the cats seen in local neighborhoods could be adolescents trying to establish their own territory. Or they might have been trying to prey on backyard pets, which are easier to catch than the deer the big cats often chase.