Mountain lion tranquilized, captured in SF's Outer Sunset
KTVU • • entertainment
Key Points:
- A juvenile male mountain lion was tranquilized and captured by San Francisco Animal Care and Control officers in the Outer Sunset neighborhood after being spotted near 44th Avenue and Ulloa Street.
- The animal prompted a temporary closure of 44th Avenue as officers from multiple agencies, including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and San Francisco Zoo staff, coordinated to safely capture it.
- Experts believe the mountain lion was a young dispersing male seeking to establish its own territory, a common behavior for pumas around one-and-a-half to two years old.
- After capture, the mountain lion was fitted with a GPS tracking collar for ongoing research by the Puma Project and released back into the wild; recent weeks have seen several mountain lion sightings in the Bay Area.
- Authorities advise that if people encounter a mountain lion, they should remain large, make noise to scare it away, and avoid running, as these animals are generally fearful of humans and play a vital ecological role.
