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San Francisco is known for its massive hills, and it can feel like you’re climbing a mountain when you have to make your way up one of them. It’s not known for boasting the kind of wildlife you might encounter while making your way up an actual one, but no one told that to a mountain lion that was tracked down in the heart of the city after causing a stir.
One of the biggest perks of living in San Francisco is the number of easily accessible natural attractions at your disposal, as the region boasts a plethora of hiking trails that allow you to explore its diverse array of woods, canyons, and coastal areas.
There are also plenty of mountains to be found, and while you don’t need to be overly concerned with encountering mountain lions there compared to some other parts of California that boast a more robust population, there is a chance you’ll end up crossing paths with one.
Those odds plummet once you arrive back in San Francisco, although some residents got a scare after one of those animals managed to infiltrate a wealthy enclave in the northern part of the city.
A mountain lion was tracked down in the middle of San Francisco (and a coyote crashed a broadcast while the local news was covering its capture)
Mountain lion sightings in San Francisco are pretty rare, but they aren’t unheard of. In 2021, a 100-pound cougar was tranquilized in the Bernal Heights area a year after another was tracked down in the vicinity of the stadium where the Giants play.
It had been a while since another sighting was reported, but we were treated to a new one when someone who was driving through Pacific Heights before the sun rose on Monday morning filmed it darting across the street before another woman captured it looming on a stoop.
A mountain lion was spotted on video in San Francisco overnight Sunday and may still be at large in the city, S.F. Animal Care and Control said on Monday. pic.twitter.com/yoXn7CtatJ
— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) January 27, 2026
Residents received an emergency text informing them to be on alert, and the police department dispatched Animal Care and Control officers to the area to hunt for the animal.
According to The New York Times, it was spotted around 1:30 A.M. on Tuesday and tracked down after getting stuck between two apartment buildings, which led to a section of California Street being shut down as dozens of people from multiple agencies arrived on the scene.
The mountain lion, which officials say was a two-year-old male that had previously been tagged 50 miles away and tipped the scales at 77 pounds, was sedated with three tranquilizer darts and given a medical evlaution before being transported away from the area.
ABC7 dispatched a reporter to chronicle the fairly chaotic scene, and we were treated to an amazing moment when a coyote wandered into the shot as she was recapping what transpired.
Your eyes do not deceive you. That’s a coyote strolling on by during ABC7’s Frances Wang live shot. Ironically, she was reporting on the capture of a 2-year-old mountain lion who was seen roaming around San Francisco streets. https://t.co/oLF6kRdF75 pic.twitter.com/4rIIVHrKMK
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) January 28, 2026
The mountain lion, which is being referred to as “157M,” was subsequently taken to a location in the Santa Cruz Mountains and released in “great health” on Wednesday.
A mountain lion named 157M is released back into the wild after being removed from San Francisco. Wildlife officials said he was in great health.
🎥: Courtesy of California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Read more >> https://t.co/YZdHrdtCfr pic.twitter.com/pS6MWYxxEW
— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) January 28, 2026
It’s unclear how he ended up in San Francisco in the first place, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll be returning in the near future.