An unexpected urban visitor stole the spotlight during a live television report on the capture of a mountain lion in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighbourhood on Tuesday. As ABC7 News reporter Frances Wang delivered updates on the tranquilisation of a young cougar, a coyote calmly walked through the shot behind her, unnoticed until after the broadcast.
The moment, which quickly went viral, was highlighted by the station on X with the caption: “Your eyes do not deceive you. That’s a coyote strolling on by during ABC7’s Frances Wang live shot. Ironically, she was reporting on the capture of a 2-year-old mountain lion who was seen roaming around San Francisco streets.” Wang later commented on social media, saying: “This is why I love live TV. You just never know what you’ll get sometimes!”
The mountain lion, a 77-pound male, was first spotted late Monday and later found wedged between buildings on California Street. Authorities closed nearby streets and used several tranquiliser darts to sedate the animal, which will be released back into the wild. Wildlife experts believe the young male entered the city while searching for new territory, a common behaviour for dispersing juveniles.
While mountain lion sightings are rare in San Francisco, coyotes are a relatively common sight in the city’s parks and green spaces. The incident follows another coyote making headlines earlier this month, when one swam to Alcatraz Island, braving treacherous waters in what is thought to be the first such documented journey.
