A lost mountain lion which was wandering through San Francisco for days has been captured near an affluent neighborhood.
The disoriented cougar was captured on Thursday morning after by officers from SF Animal Care and Control and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
‘SFPD provided a perimeter and stood by to make sure everyone was safe during the capture of the lion,’ Deb Campbell, a spokesperson for SF Animal Care & Control said, according to SFGate.
Officials took efforts to capture the animal without tranquilizers because young cats can die during the sedating process.
‘We have been monitoring the lion’s movements since Tuesday, and felt that because he or she was young and inexperienced that there was no easy, safe exit route from the city,’ said Campbell.
A young mountain lion was captured in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco on Thursday morning after residents reported sighting the last few days
Animals officials used a net to captured the mountain lion instead of a tranquilizers because young cats can die during the sedating process
‘We were afraid that the lion would be hit by a car, or starve.’
Instead, authorities said they used a net to apprehend the mountain lion. Neither the cat or any humans were injured, according to a series of Twitter posts by SF Animal Care.
‘2020 isn’t a total dumpster fire, the San Francisco mountain lion has been captured and will be released in a wild area with lower rent. No injuries to feline or human.’
The mountain lion will undergo an evaluation by the Fish and Wildlife department before its released back into the wild.
Authorities located the cat near Oracle Park, the famous baseball stadium of the San Francisco Giants in the South Beach neighborhood.
SF Animal care revealed that the mountain lion was captured and there were not reported injuries
San Francisco’s South Beach neighborhood has an average median income of $114,643 and an average household income of $241,895.00. There are just over 5,000 residents in the neighborhood.
Officials believe the cat is around 14 months old. Mountain lions at the age are typically still in the care of their mothers, so it’s unclear how the young animal ended up alone.
The captured cougar is reportedly the same one that was spotted by residents and authorities over the past few days.
Sighting were reported near a number of intersections by residents.
One resident took a video of the mountain lion as it walked through the Russian Hill neighborhood on Tuesday.
One San Francisco resident captured footage of the young mountain lion in the Russian Hill neighborhood on Tuesday
‘At around 12:30 am I spotted a mountain lion roaming the streets of Russian Hill,’ said Twitter use Fernando Robles.
‘I followed from inside my car and lost visual contact near intersection of Greenwich and Jones. Be safe when walking alone at night or when walking your pets. I reported the sighting [SFPD].’
Footage shows the mountain lion freezing when the vehicle’s headlights shine on him, but it quickly flees across the street seconds later.
Another sighting was reported the East Cut-Rincon Hill neighborhood near downtown San Francisco.
SF Animal Care and Control shared a series of messages warning residents about the mountain lion on the loose.
Officials speculated that the mountain lion was attempting to find territory, but became lost and disoriented in San Francisco
‘It’s likely the mountain lion is confused and lost, and will soon find its way south and out of San Francisco. If you see the mountain lion – do not go near it. Give it a wide berth, slowly back away while facing the lion, do not run!’ they wrote.
According to Campbell, its possible to mountain lion was attempting to find territory but got lost in the process.
‘It’s highly unusual for a mountain lion to be in these areas because it’s quite young and very inexperienced,’ said Campbell.
‘Usually when families have litters, they disperse to find their own territory. This one probably went a little early and ended up here and doesn’t know how to get out.’