Lost Mountain Lion Safely Rescued in San Francisco

A confused young mountain lion that spent two days exploring San Francisco's upscale Pacific Heights neighborhood is getting a second chance in safer territory.

The yearling male cougar was safely tranquilized Tuesday morning after a multi-agency team cornered him in a courtyard between apartment buildings on California Street. The San Francisco Fire Department, police, Animal Care and Control, the San Francisco Zoo, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife worked together to capture the cat without harm.

Resident Roxanne Blank got closer than most would want when she discovered the mountain lion on her porch around 3 a.m. Monday. "I just locked eyes with the mountain lion for over five minutes," she told KQED. Her barking dog eventually scared the cat away, but he left behind significant claw marks as evidence of the encounter.

Wildlife officials say the young cat probably got lost while dispersing from his mother, a natural process that happens when mountain lions reach independence between ages one and two. "These young animals, newly away from mom, just get lost and end up in the city," explained Alys Granados, a wildlife ecologist with the Bay Area Puma Project.

The real story behind this urban wanderer is more concerning than a simple wrong turn. Mountain lions from open spaces south of San Francisco are ending up in the city more frequently because habitat loss leaves them nowhere to go. The Central Coast mountain lion population is currently a candidate for the endangered species list, with a final decision expected next month.

"There's so much encroachment around the remaining habitat that there's no park or protected area that's big enough to have the full home range size of a mountain lion," Granados said. These cats need anywhere from 20 to 100 square miles of territory, space that's increasingly hard to find as development spreads.

The Bright Side

Tuesday's successful capture shows how cooperation between multiple agencies can protect both wildlife and people. The team worked patiently through the morning to ensure the young lion could be safely relocated to appropriate habitat where he'll have room to establish his own territory.

This mountain lion is heading somewhere he can thrive instead of wandering confused city streets.