S.F. mountain lion tranquilized, will be released into wild

[Coventina]

San Francisco officials apprehended a young mountain lion that had been roaming near Lafayette Park in the heart of San Francisco for the last 30 hours.

Shortly before 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, a California Fish and Wildlife officer arrived with what appeared to be a tranquilizer gun and walked into the apartment building at California and Octavia streets attached to the yard where the lion was hiding. A shot sounded. Officials quickly brought in a cage.

“It is a male around 2 years old and 77 pounds. He is doing OK. Fish and Wildlife will take him and release him to a natural habitat,” said Mariano Elias, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Fire Department. The process took longer than expected because the lion was in a small spot between two buildings, Elias said, and it also had to be tranquilized several times. Officials then had to wait until they were confident it was unconscious. They covered its eyes and claws.

The drama unfolded in a gated area between two large apartment buildings, one seven stories high. Police had spotted the lion there around 2 a.m., Elias said. The area is about thirty feet wide with trees and brush that made it easy to hide. A school around the corner, Convent & Stuart Hall, was closed in case the lion became angry and ventured back out.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/mountain-lion-pacific-heights-21316657.php

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Yay for a humane capture and release!!