A 77-pound mountain lion set off a scramble Tuesday because it wandered via San Francisco’s rich Pacific Heights neighborhood earlier than lastly being captured as onlookers safely peered from their dwelling home windows or stood throughout the road.
Dozens of officers labored to seize and tranquilize the male cat after warnings had been issued advising folks to slowly again away in the event that they encountered it.
The wild cat was first seen Monday morning.
“It was so big … not just a regular cat,” stated Madrey Hilton, who took video of the animal Monday morning and alerted authorities, in response to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The mountain lion was discovered Tuesday hiding in a backyard between two condo buildings, San Francisco Hearth Division Lt. Mariano Elias stated. Authorities shot the feline with tranquilizers thrice “to make sure it was completely unconscious,” Elias stated. “They covered his eyes and bound its paws, just to make sure it wasn’t going to run anywhere.”
Veterinarians with the San Francisco Zoo then examined the cat earlier than inserting it in a cage. It’ll endure additional testing to make sure it’s wholesome earlier than it’s launched to the wild, Elias stated.
The two-year-old male cougar was tagged and final noticed in Saratoga, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of San Francisco, he stated. Cougars, mountain lions, panthers and pumas are the identical cat species — puma concolor, in response to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance web site.
Mountain lion sightings are uncommon in San Francisco, the place coyotes abound.
In 2020, a younger mountain lion was noticed sleeping in a planter field alongside a usually busy avenue and taking a look at his reflection within the glass of an workplace tower in downtown San Francisco. The animal was later safely captured and launched into the wild.
Consultants say the animals come up alongside the Pacific coast from the hills south of the town, however ultimately discover their manner again to the wilderness.
Angela Yip, a spokesperson for the town’s Animal Care and Management, stated there was no menace to the general public.
Mountain lions additionally dwell in Los Angeles, one of many world’s solely megacities of 10 million-plus, the place massive felines thrive by breeding, searching and sustaining territory inside city boundaries.
