Crisis Was Averted After A Large Mountain Lion Was Found Prowling Around In California Backyards

Residents of Azusa, California were warned to stay inside of their homes after a rather large mountain lion said to have been about the size of a small horse or pony was spotted in a residential neighborhood on Monday morning shortly before 7 a.m. Just east of Los Angeles, Azusa is located at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, where the big cat presumably came from.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife were eventually able to tranquilize the lion and remove it from a backyard, after authorities employed the use of a drone to monitor it and force it into a perimeter. The lion was then loaded into the back of a truck and taken to be released into the wild, preferably further away from people.

Deborah Moore, 65, was among the first locals to see it. She was walking home from a neighbor’s house when she spotted it from across the street, standing on her front yard.

“I was stunned and amazed at the beauty. I didn’t feel scared, it didn’t seem like it was aggressive,” said Moore, who was returning from checking on her neighbor’s small Yorkie while she was out of town. “We just had a kind of staring contest and I didn’t want to take off and have it chase me or something.”

That was probably a smart move on her part, since getting chased by what was likely a confused and disoriented mountain lion is definitely not ideal. You can see more photos and video footage of the beast below.

https://twitter.com/jenniferthang/status/978303774665064448

https://twitter.com/jenniferthang/status/978301686925029376

(Via CBS 2, Los Angeles Times)