A mountain lion that was spotted in San Francisco on Friday morning has been safely tranquilized and released back into the wild, according to animal control officials.
As first reported by KTLA sister station KRON4, the big cat was seen near 44th Avenue and Ulloa Street in the city’s Outer Sunset neighborhood.
Video obtained by the San Francisco Standard shows the animal roaming across the front yards of homes. Another video showed it sprinting down the street as police and animal control officials are nearby.
According to the Standard, officials arrived at the scene with a tranquilizer gun around 9 a.m., resulting in a “standoff” with the lion beneath a home.
Animal Care and Control officials tranquilized a mountain lion seen roaming a neighborhood on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Animal Care and Control / Facebook)
Animal Care and Control officials tranquilized a mountain lion seen roaming a neighborhood on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (Animal Care and Control / Facebook)
It ended with the animal being safely darted by San Francisco Zoo officials.
The lion, estimated at 2 to 3 years old and weighing approximately 79 pounds, was given a quick health assessment and outfitted with a GPS satellite collar prior to release, according to California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials.
CDFW shared a video on Facebook Friday afternoon showing the male mountain lion being released back its into its habitat.
The sighting comes less than two weeks after a mountain lion was observed in a tree in the city’s Panhandle neighborhood.
CDFW shared a video on Facebook Friday afternoon showing the male mountain lion being released back its into its habitat. (CDFW / Facebook)
There have also been other unconfirmed sightings of a mountain lion circulating on social media.
Animal control officials have not confirmed whether the mountain lion captured Friday was the same animal. However, they explained that there’s a “big difference” between Friday’s incident and the other sighting.
“Being in a tree in the Panhandle in a natural area with a clear route to the coast through a forested park is one thing,” they said. “Being hunkered down under a bush in a driveway in a densely populated neighborhood is another completely different scenario.”
There were no reports of anyone being injured by the mountain lion.
These recent incidents are not the first time a mountain lion has made its way into the city this year.
A juvenile mountain lion was tranquilized and captured by authorities in January in a Pacific Heights courtyard between apartment buildings, according to the Standard. That animal was released into a “more suitable habitat.”
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.