A young mountain lion that had been roaming San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood since the weekend was cornered Tuesday morning, authorities said.
Animal Care & Control of San Francisco officials said that the big cat was located around 6:30 a.m. in a courtyard between two apartment buildings on California Street.
“Animal Control Officers located the mountain lion near Lafayette Park early this morning,” spokesperson Angela Yip said Tuesday. “We are working together to make sure that the public is safe and the animal is in the best possible situation.”
The San Francisco Police Department, a state game warden and Animal Control officers were on scene. Police closed California Street between Octavia and Laguna streets.
The mountain lion was first spotted Sunday night near Lafayette Park.
“The subadult mountain lion was caught on video last night near Lafayette Park,” the city’s Animal Care & Control department said in an Instagram post (opens in new tab) Monday.
“Experts have identified this as possibly a young animal about a year old,” the message said. “It’s likely that the mountain lion got lost while dispersing, is confused, and will soon find its way south and out of San Francisco.”
A video shared on Reddit (opens in new tab) showed what was allegedly the large wild cat standing still on the front steps of a San Francisco home, gazing toward the street.
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management issued an alert (opens in new tab) Monday evening warning residents in the Pacific and Octavia area about the sighting.
Officials advised anyone who encountered the animal to back away slowly and not run. Parents were told to pick up small children, and dog owners were urged to keep pets on leash.
“If the mountain lion approaches — make yourself ‘big’ wave your arms, shout, throw something, and again, do not run,” the emergency alert stated.