Mountain lion caught in Agua Caliente
60-pound female tranquilized while perched in redwood tree
Published: Friday, May 23, 2008 at 3:34 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, May 23, 2008 at 12:02 p.m.
A 60-pound female mountain lion was captured in the back yard of a Sonoma Valley home Thursday afternoon.
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A mountain lion that was discovered Thursday in the backyard of a Sonoma Valley home was shot with a tranquilizer gun and restrained by biologists from the California Fish and Game.
Sonoma County Sheriff's Department"It definitely surprised me. She had to go through several neighborhoods to get to where she was," neighbor Jim Haver said. "I'm just glad they got her out safe."
A resident of the 16000 block of Calle de la Luna in Agua Caliente called the sheriff's department just before 1 p.m. to report the mountain lion was lounging in the branches of a redwood tree, authorities said.
"She was very impressive," Sgt. Dave Pederson said. "She was beautiful. She put her head up and was looking at us, and I thought, 'I'm not sure what she's thinking, but I hope I can handle it.' "
Deputies formed a perimeter around the back yard, and asked neighbors to stay inside with their doors and windows closed.
They also diverted Sonoma Valley Unified school buses from the area.
Biologists from the California Department of Fish and Game got to the house just before 2 p.m. and shot the cat with a tranquilizer, Pedersen said.
"She came out of the tree gingerly," he said. "She was woozy, moving her feet and looking at us as she inched down."
Once the cat was on the ground, biologists put a leather blindfold and muzzle over her face, restrained her paws, and gathered her up in a hammock, Pedersen said.
The cat was safely placed in a wooden crate and taken out of the area, he said.
Fish and Game Lt. Steve Riske said the mountain lion was being monitored and evaluated by biologists out of the area and would likely be released in a wildlife preserve out of the county.
Neighbor Shelia Harmon was baby-sitting her two young grandchildren when the mountain lion was spotted and captured. She said it was the first time she had seen one and was surprised it came into a residential area.
"I hope she's OK," Harmon said. "It's too bad she was in the neighborhood."
You can reach Staff Writer Laura Norton at 521-5220 or laura.norton@pressdemocrat.com.
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