Wildlife officials in San Francisco have captured a young mountain lion that was seen roaming the streets of the city. The animal was first spotted on Monday morning by a resident who filmed it and alerted authorities.
Authorities issued a warning late on Monday, advising residents to slowly back away if they encountered the mountain lion, which was sighted in the Pacific Heights neighbourhood. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the feline was tranquilised on Tuesday morning and will be released into the wild.
Madrey Hilton, who saw the mountain lion, told the newspaper: “It was so big … not just a regular cat.” She described the animal as “minding its own business” as it scaled a wall and entered Lafayette Park.
Mountain lion sightings are rare in San Francisco, though cougars have been spotted before. In 2020, a young mountain lion was found sleeping in a planter box downtown and later safely captured. Experts say the animals travel along the Pacific Coast from the hills south of the city but usually return to the wilderness.
