‘Cat up a tree’ call in leads to capture and relocation of California mountain lion
A mountain lion stuck in a tree at a Tustin home made for a unique call to Orange County police, fire and wildlife agencies on Monday, Nov. 18.
The mountain lion was captured and eventually relocated to a remote forest area after a family noticed their dog had chased a “cat” up a tree, the Tustin Police Department said.
The “cat,” actually realized to be a young male mountain lion, was tranquilized, cared for and prepared for transport away from the Irvine Boulevard and Holt Avenue area home by police, fire crews and biologists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The lion capture happened in a neighborhood north of the 5 Freeway and east of the 55 Freeway.
He was taken to a processing center and then safely returned to the wild in the Cleveland National Forest, in an area further away from people and homes, police said on social media.
“Today’s incident is also a reminder that when it comes to wildlife, giving them their space and calling the appropriate authorities is best for their safety and ours,” the Orange County Fire Authority wrote on X.
Video posted by the OCFA showed personnel hauling the lion from the tree area and preparing it for relocation.
Mountain lions are designated as a specially protected species in California and those that are recognized as “no harm no foul” animals that do not pose a threat are induced back to, or returned to, their “nearest suitable habitat” by CDFW personnel as protocol, according to the department.
Sightings of the cougars, and encounters with them, are nothing new in Southern California. In 2022, one traveled into a retail area of Irvine, darted past a hair salon and eventually was captured in a building.
Lions were euthanized after attacking children this fall in Calabasas and in 2020 in Lake Forest.
The Tustin Police Department thanked the CDFW, Mission Viejo Animal Services, OC Animal Care and the Orange County Fire Authority for their parts in facilitating the capture, removal and safe release of the mountain lion.