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A mountain lion prowls a residential area san francisco May still be holed up in local parks, issuing safety warnings to residents.
Local woman Madrey Hilton spotted the lion while she was at work around 6 a.m. Monday and recorded a video from her car at the scene at Sacramento and Gough streets.
“It’s so big… not just an ordinary cat,” she Tell san francisco chronicleadding that it “seems like it’s just minding its own business.”
The lion avoided several cars with headlights, crossed the street and headed towards the neighborhood lafayette parka 12-acre hilly park located near Pacific Heights.
Hilton initially shared her video on the social network Nextdoor and then notified the city’s Wildlife Management Bureau, who confirmed the cat was a “sub-adult mountain lion,” possibly about a year old.
Park rangers, animal control officers and California Department of Fish and Wildlife staff went to the park late Monday but found no sign; however, that doesn’t mean it’s gone, Animal Care and Control spokesperson Angela Yip said. Tell chronicle.
“These animals often hide during the day,” Ye said. “There’s a good chance this animal was squatting in Lafayette Park.”
in Facebook postSan Francisco Animal Care and Control urged residents to “remain vigilant” and use caution when outdoors and said mountain lions should be given “a wide berth,” and rangers in parks also issued warnings to locals.
Lafayette Park residents seemed to take it in stride late Monday afternoon, with some throwing balls to their dogs and pushing small children on the playground swings. this chronicle report.
“It felt like he was going to be more scared of us,” said Ben Lawson, who was playing with his 16-month-old son, Will, and was unfazed by the encounter with the big cat. “It would be very rare.”
Resident Chris Hill, who was in the park with his dog, was equally unconcerned, although he said he hoped his pet wouldn’t get tangled with the beast.
“I brought 180 pounds worth of dogs,” he Tell chronicle. “I still don’t want them to get hurt.”
Mountain lion attacks humans Only a few dozen deaths, many of them children, have been recorded in North America over the past 150 years. Mountain lions, also known as cougars or panthers, do not typically view humans as prey.
The most recent related deaths are January in Coloradowhen a group of hikers on the Crossier Mountain Trail noticed a mountain lion near the body of a woman. The victim was later identified as Kristen Marie Kovatch, 46.
Two years ago, 21-year-old Taylen Robert Claude Brooks Killed in mountain lion attack March 2024 in El Dorado County, California; his 18-year-old brother was also injured.
Most documented mountain lion attacks (approximately three-quarters) are caused by no casualties.
In a famous incident in February 2019, Colorado trail runner Travis Kauffman fought back after being attacked by a mountain lion. Killed it with bare hands.
Kaufman, who was left with minor bruises, appeared nonchalant about the encounter. Tell colorado sun Months later, he was still running on the same track: “It’s one of those things that happens over time, it becomes a distant memory and everything goes back to normal.”
Animal Care and Control San Francisco Anyone who sees a mountain lion should not approach it and should back away rather than run away.
“If you have children with you, pick them up and keep the dog on a leash. If a mountain lion approaches, make yourself ‘big,’ wave your arms, yell, throw things, and again, don’t run.”
The agency said the mountain lion spotted in Lafayette Park will likely find its way out of the city if it hasn’t already.