Mountain lion captured after prowling Pacific Heights
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Never run away if you come face to face with a mountain lion. Photo: Courtesy of Jessica Fajardo
A young mountain lion spotted near Lafayette Park in Pacific Heights earlier this week has been found and captured — welcome news for dog owners and anyone who prefers their evening walks free of surprise maulings.
Driving the news: Law enforcement and wildlife officials Tuesday morning safely apprehended and tranquilized the two-year-old cougar, who was hiding in a crevice between two apartment buildings on California Street.
- Wildlife officials are planning to release the mountain lion back into its natural habitat after conducting a health exam.
Catch up quick: The big cat was first spotted Sunday night near Lafayette Park before disappearing into the maze of backyards and stairways in the neighborhood — a detour officials believe happened after it became lost.
- A citywide emergency alert was issued and the park was temporarily closed to the public, as was California Street between Octavia and Laguna streets.
State of play: The rare sighting rattled residents in the area, who were surprised to see the apex predator prowling the streets and sidewalks near their homes.
- In one instance, resident Roxanne Blank described coming home from a nearby bar Monday at 3am to find the 77-pound creature walking down her block near Vallejo and Franklin streets and up the steps to a pathway next to her apartment.
- "I'm a huge outdoors woman so I love animals and was honored to see it," Blank, who shared a video of the sighting, told Axios. "I was nervous the next morning when I went to examine the scratch marks it left in the concrete — that's when it hit me how lucky I was."
Resident Jessica Fajardo lives in one of the adjacent apartment buildings on the fifth floor, with a fire escape overlooking the crevice where the mountain lion was sheltering early Tuesday.
- Her morning started at 6am with an unexpected wake-up call from Animal Care & Control requesting access to her apartment.
- Officials soon took up posts in and around the building, staking out the area for several hours before firing several tranquilizing shots.
- "It was massive," she told Axios. "It was very clearly, just huge. It's just crazy that it was roaming around San Francisco."
Flashback: The last confirmed mountain lion sighting was in 2021 in Bernal Heights.