SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The mountain lion that captured the attention and hearts of San Franciscans was released into the Santa Cruz mountains early Wednesday morning.
“Everything went smoothly,” said Krysten Kellum, of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “He’s a healthy mountain lion. He left his crate right away and off he went into the forest.”
The cat is believed to be around two years old and 77 pounds. Experts believe he got lost in the city when dispersing and trying to find his own territory.
Several Pacific Heights residents saw him in their neighborhood, even crossing city streets. Then Tuesday, he was seen in a courtyard garden area between apartment buildings and officials eventually got him out safely.
VIDEO: Officials capture mountain lion that’s been prowling SF’s Pac Heights neighborhood
A 2-year-old, 77-pound mountain lion that was prowling San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood was located Tuesday morning and after hours has been tranquilized and captured.
But the cat was no stranger to Field Biologist Richie King of the Santa Cruz Puma Project, which tracks and studies mountain lions.
“I was like, ‘it’s that same guy,'” King said. “He’s still looking for his own little home territory.”
King has had four encounters with 157m, as they know him.
King has put collars on the cat for tracking that they can grow out of or lose, as young as when he was a kitten.
The last time King saw the mountain lion, he had made it to somebody’s yard in Saratoga.
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“I was actually able to do the darting, removed him from this backyard and we relocated him that time,” King said. “Once again I was, ‘alright like maybe I’ll see him again, maybe I won’t.'”
Little did he know he would indeed see him again. This time in urban San Francisco.
King said the mountain lion had an ear tag Tuesday and that’s how they knew it was 157m. Tuesday, King put a collar on him again. He hopes the cat stays safe.
“Doing his thing carving out a little niche for himself, and survives and persists and just lives a natural life out here,” King said.
In a few weeks you should be able to keep tabs on 157m yourself on the Santa Cruz Puma Project’s website.
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