Like many Bay Area residents enjoying the Labor Day weekend, amountain lion spent part of its holiday in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. But while the big cat's visit drew fascination, it also put residents on alert as officials worked to safely capture and relocate the animal.
Although the animal's presence surprised many in the area, mountain lions commonly travel north into San Francisco throughout the year, according to Deb Campbell, Animal Care and Control spokesperson.
"They move north up the coast from large natural areas where mountain lions are common. They eventually reach San Francisco and can go no further because of the Bay. They make a right turn and into the green spaces that lead into the City," Campbell told USA TODAY in an email.
Local officials were first alerted to the mountain lion's presence Saturday morning, Sept. 5, after a resident walking his dog saw the lion climb into a tree near Baker Street and Fell Street in the park's panhandle area, Campbell said.
Officers from the city animal control department quickly arrived and searched for the animal to ensure the area was safe for a mime festival that was setting up nearby, according to Campbell.
Animal Control officers interviewed the man about the sighting and remained at the park throughout the day as San Francisco Recreation and Park Rangers and California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials arrived.
However, it wasn't until about 8:30 p.m. that a Park Ranger noticed the mountain lion perched in the tree.
At the recommendation of a California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist, animal control officers kept the scene "quiet and calm so as not to frighten the mountain lion," to allow the animal to leave the area on its own, according to Campbell.
The San Francisco Police Department tried to locate the mountain lion with a drone, but because of "thick foliage and branches" in the area, the operator could not find the animal.
"Mountain lions are very sly and clever, experts at not being seen, and generally not interested in human encounters," Krysten Kellum, an information officer with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told USA TODAY in an email.
Later that night, San Francisco's Animal Control confirmed that the mountain lion had left the tree overnight and received unconfirmed reports at about 3 p.m. on Sunday that the animal was seen moving west through Golden Gate Park to the coastline.
Campbell noted that this was the "best case scenario" as the mountain lion was able to travel through a natural "corridor west to the coast," which is uncommon compared to previous encounters with wandering mountain lions.
"There was no need to use a tranquilizer dart and relocate the mountain lion," Campbell said.
In January, animal control officials were called out to San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood after a mountain lion was seen roaming the streets. Officers ultimately needed to use tranquilizing darts to apprehend the animal and relocate it out of the area.
When asked what may have led the mountain lion to wander into the City, Kellum told USA TODAY that the animal likely came through from the Bay Area's southern region in an attempt to establish its own territory.
"This may be a young mountain lion dispersing from its mother, when they must seek out and establish their own territory. This behavior can lead to mountain lions having to explore new areas, and sometimes that takes them out of the hill," Kellum said.
"Mountain lions prefer open space natural habitat and are very wary of humans, typically avoiding populated areas but can on occasion wander into a city. In these instances, the mountain lion will usually find its way back to habitat, which is really where it would rather be. This is what we expect this mountain lion to do."
The mountain lion was last seen on Sunday heading toward San Francisco's coastline, but it is unclear where it is now or whether it's still in the area.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife noted that it had not received any reports of any human-mountain lion conflict involving this animal.
Noe Padilla is a Northern California Reporter for USA Today. Contact him at npadilla@usatodayco.com, follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social. Sign up for the TODAY Californian newsletter or follow us on Facebook at TODAY Californian
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mountain lion seen in San Francisco likely traveled from South Bay
