A mountain lion that was tranquilized after wandering around an Escondido neighborhood on Monday has been relocated near the Cleveland National Forest and outfitted with a tracking device, a state wildlife official said.
Someone first spotted the animal walking east on Mission Avenue shortly after 1:30 p.m. and called 911. Officers followed the mountain lion onto North Grape Street, where it went into a parking area near apartments, stretched out under a vehicle and took a nap, Escondido police Lt. Lee Stewart said.
Game wardens and biologists from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife were summoned and came up with a plan. A game warden fired a tranquilizer dart into the cat shortly after 6 p.m.
A Fish and Wildlife worker holds the paw of the tranquilized 3-year-old mountain lion found in Escondido. (California Department of Fish and Wildlife)
“The animal proceeded to run eastbound over a fence into an apartment complex where we had officers,” Stewart said.
The cat stopped and leaned against a tree as the tranquilizer took effect. It eventually fell asleep, and a Fish and Wildlife worker gave it another dose of sedative by hand to ensure it didn’t wake up.
Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Steve Gonzalez said the animal is a 3-year-old healthy male. The cat was fitted with a collar and an ear tag with the number M-129 and was released late Tuesday night.
Biologists will monitor the movements of the mountain lion until the tracking collar falls off, which usually happens after about eight months of wear.
Mountain lions are the second-largest cats in North America. Known as mountain lions in California, the cats are called different names in different areas: panthers in Florida, pumas in Mexico and Central and South America, and cougars in other parts of North America.
The animals are considered a “specially protected mammal” in California, and it is illegal to hunt them for sport.
A 3-year-old male mountain lion was tranquilized after it wandered into an Escondido neighborhood on Monday. It was released near the Cleveland National Forest later that night. (California Department of Fish and Wildlife)
Gonzalez said young mountain lions will sometimes get separated from their mothers as they search out their own territory.
“It was deep into the urban area, so it probably lost its way,” Gonzalez said of the animal found in Escondido. He said the cats often find their way back home on their own but sometimes need to be relocated.
“I think in this case, there was no easy exit for the mountain lion to get back to the wild … It kind of got in a bit of a pickle so in that case we took action,” he said.