A 77-pound mountain lion sparked a stampede Tuesday as it wandered through San Francisco’s wealthy Pacific Heights neighborhood before finally being captured as spectators watched safely from their windows or stood across the street.
Dozens of officials worked to capture and tranquilize the male cat after warnings were issued, advising people to back away slowly if they encountered him.
The wildcat was first seen Monday morning.
“It was so big… not just a regular cat,” Madrey said Hiltonwho took video of the animal Monday morning and alerted authorities, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The lion “just looked like it was minding its own business,” Hilton told the newspaper, adding that it had scaled the wall and was heading toward picturesque Lafayette Park, which includes two tennis courts, a children’s play area and an off-leash dog area.
The mountain lion was found Tuesday hiding in a yard between two apartment buildings, San Francisco Fire Department Lt. Mariano Elias said. Authorities shot the feline with tranquilizers three times “to make sure it was completely unconscious,” Elias said. “They covered his eyes and tied his legs, just to make sure he didn’t run anywhere.”
San Francisco Zoo veterinarians then examined the cat before placing it in a cage. It will undergo additional testing to ensure it is healthy before being released into the wild, Elias said.
The 2-year-old male cougar was last marked and spotted in Saratoga, about 50 miles south of San Francisco, he said. Cougars, mountain lions, panthers and mountain lions are the same species of cat – puma concolor, according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance website.
Mountain lion sightings are rare in San Francisco, where coyotes are abundant.
In 2020, a a young mountain lion was spotted sleeping in a planter along a normally busy street and staring at his reflection in the window of a downtown San Francisco office tower. The animal was then safely captured and released into the wild.
Experts say the animals move up the Pacific coast from the hills south of the city, but eventually find their way back to the wilderness.
Angela Yip, a spokeswoman for the city’s Animal Protection and Control Department, said there was no threat to the public.
Mountain lions also live in Los Angeles, one of the world’s only megacities of more than 10 million people, where big cats thrive by breeding, hunting and maintaining territories within urban boundaries.
