Video: mountain lion in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset District bolts before being captured

By Carlos E. Castañeda

A mountain lion spotted in a San Francisco neighborhood Friday morning sprinted to escape animal control personnel before it was captured shortly after.

A city alert notification said the mountain lion was seen near 44th Avenue and Ulloa Street in the city’s Outer Sunset District, about two blocks north of the San Francisco Zoo.

CBS News Bay Area reporter Drew Andre said that as of 10:48 a.m., the mountain lion had been hit with a tranquilizer dart and animal control officers were waiting for it to take effect. The lion was seen making a run for it after being cornered by personnel on the scene. 

“Officers warned us, they said be ready because after the big cat is tranquilized, there is a chance it could run in our direction, and that’s exactly what happened,” Andre said.

Eventually the cat became incapacitated and animal control officers removed it from the area just before noon. Veterinarians will examine the mountain lion and check on its health before returning it to the wild, authorities said.

Earlier this month, a mountain lion was seen roaming in the city’s Panhandle neighborhood just east of Golden Gate Park. It’s believed that lion left the area and found its way into the city from the Santa Cruz mountains. 

It was not immediately known if this was the same mountain lion.

This is a breaking news update. More information to be added as available.