Mountain Lion Eludes Authorities for Hours in San Francisco Neighborhood

Clear Facts

• A mountain lion was spotted in San Francisco’s Sunset District on Friday and evaded capture for several hours before being tranquilized.
• Multiple agencies including police, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, animal control, and the San Francisco Zoo collaborated to contain the animal.
• The mountain lion was safely released back into the wild after being fitted with a tracking collar.

Residents in the city’s largest neighborhood were surprised to see a mountain lion wandering through the Sunset District on Friday morning. The big cat managed to avoid capture for hours despite the presence of multiple agencies.

Officials from the San Francisco Police Department, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Animal Care & Control, and the San Francisco Zoo worked together to contain the animal in the Outer Sunset area.

“We’re happy to report that our mountain lion visitor has been released back to the wild by our friends at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife,” Animal Care & Control wrote on Facebook.

“We’re so grateful for the collaboration today between so many agencies and organizations. It takes a village to wrangle a mountain lion! Thank you to the San Francisco Zoo for their expertise darting the lion and documenting the scene. Thank you to the San Francisco Police Department for having our backs and thank you to the wonderful Santa Cruz Puma Project!”

“And of course, thank you to our fabulous Animal Control Officers who go above and beyond helping animals and people every single day!”

The animal was later released back into a wooded area wearing a new tracking collar. This incident comes after another mountain lion sighting earlier this month in the city’s Panhandle neighborhood.

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