A mountain lion was seen prowling in a residential neighbourhood of San Francisco, prompting safety warnings for residents, particularly concerning children and pets. The sighting occurred around 6 am on Monday on Sacramento and Gough streets, where local woman Madrey Hilton recorded a video of the animal from her car.
Hilton described the lion as “so big… not just a regular cat” and said it “just looked like it was minding its own business.” The cat crossed the street, avoiding a few cars, and entered nearby Lafayette Park, a 12-acre park in the Pacific Heights neighbourhood. Hilton shared the footage on Nextdoor and alerted wildlife authorities, who identified the cat as a “subadult mountain lion” about a year old.
Park rangers, animal control officers, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife staff searched the park on Monday but found no sign of the lion. Animal Care & Control San Francisco later announced on Tuesday that the mountain lion had been located, though they did not specify where or if it had been captured. The agency had earlier urged residents to “remain vigilant” and give the animal a “wide berth.”
Despite the warnings, residents at Lafayette Park appeared unperturbed. Ben Lawson, playing with his 16-month-old son, said, “It feels like it would be more scared of us. It would be so rare.” Chris Hill, at the park with his dogs, said he’d rather his pets not tangle with the beast, adding, “I have 180 pounds worth of dog with me. I still don’t want them to get mauled.”
Mountain lion attacks on humans are rare, with only a few dozen fatalities in North America over the past 150 years. The most recent death was in Colorado in January, and a 2024 attack in California killed a 21-year-old man. Animal Care & Control advised anyone who sees a mountain lion not to approach it, but to back away without running, pick up children, keep dogs on a leash, and make themselves appear large by waving arms and shouting.
