Pasadena residents sheltered in place after police received a call about a mountain lion near an apartment complex by Del Mar Boulevard and Euclid Avenue. Wildlife officials later captured the cat, determined it was a young, healthy male, and planned to releas
Friday morning, Pasadena residents were asked to hunker down after police received a call about a mountain lion lounging in a front yard near an apartment complex by Del Mar Boulevard and Euclid Avenue—close enough to put nearby schools and a packed graduation ceremony on alert.
The Pasadena Police Department got the report around 11 a.m., and shelter-in-place warnings went out for residents in the immediate area. City spokesperson Lisa Derderian said wildlife officials captured the cat later that afternoon.
Biologists with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife determined the animal was a young and healthy male. The spokesperson said it will be released into the nearest suitable habitat in the Angeles National Forest.
City officials. Derderian among them. said they’re still trying to understand how the puma made it across the 210 Freeway and ended up plopping down in a heavily populated residential area surrounded by major streets. In the Los Angeles area alone. the National Park Service estimates that 32 mountain lions have been struck and killed by vehicles since 2002.
Derderian described the outcome as extraordinary. “This is very, very rare,” she said, “and the fact that it was not injured is miraculous.”
There’s also the question of what might be driving these unusual intrusions. Just one week earlier, a mountain lion was found in a residential area of Santa Monica, which also prompted shelter-in-place warnings. That lion was tranquilized without any injuries.
“It does appear to be a coincidence that two similar occurrences happened in corresponding weeks and this was not the mountain lion that was in Santa Monica last week,” a Fish and Wildlife spokesperson said.
Pasadena has seen other sightings too. In May. there were two mountain lion sightings reported in the city. but in both cases the animal moved on quickly and was not captured by wildlife officials. Kevin McManus of Pasadena Humane told ABC7 News at the time that mountain lion sightings in the city are “extremely rare. ” while adding that last year’s wildfires could be pushing cats further into residential areas.
McManus pointed to the Eaton fire, which he said had “massive, devastating effects” near the cats’ natural habitat. “The Eaton fire had massive. devastating effects. not too far away from the cougar’s natural habitat. so it’s very possible they’re here looking for food. water and shelter. ” he told the station.
The fire’s impact appears to have rippled beyond mountain lions. Communities in the San Gabriel foothills also saw an uptick in bear sightings after the fire charred a sizable chunk of nearby bruins’ habitat.
Fish and Wildlife says residents can reduce the odds of more wildlife coming into urban areas by removing attractants around homes. The spokesperson listed unsecured garbage cans, fallen fruit, bird feeders, pet food left outside, and uncleaned grills. “All of those could produce smells that would attract wild animals like mountain lions, bears or coyotes,” the spokesperson said.
People living near mountain lion habitat can also lower their risk by changing routines and yard conditions—avoiding outdoor exercise at dawn. dusk or night; keeping pets inside at night; removing dense vegetation around homes; and installing outdoor lighting to make it harder for mountain lions to approach unseen.
In the rare case of a public encounter, Fish and Wildlife advises people not to run. Instead, they should make themselves look larger by extending and waving their arms, while backing away slowly.
Mountain lions can be found in wilderness areas near Pasadena, including the Angeles National Forest and Arroyo Seco. The National Park Service also estimates that about 10 to 15 mountain lions live in the Santa Monica Mountains at any given time.
At the state level. the cats face several pressures: human encroachment. loss of habitat and prey due to wildfires. rat poison. disease. and vehicle collisions. Earlier this year. the California Fish and Game Commission granted threatened species status to six mountain lion populations in an effort to boost their survival chances.
Pasadena mountain lion puma shelter-in-place California Department of Fish and Wildlife Angeles National Forest 210 Freeway Del Mar Boulevard Euclid Avenue
So it was just chillin in someone’s yard and everyone panicked? Wild.
Wait, they said it made it across the 210 like that?? I didn’t know mountain lions could jump that much traffic without getting smoked. Glad it wasn’t injured though. Pasadena school ceremony sounded scary.
I’m sorry but releasing it into the Angeles National Forest sounds risky, like what if it just comes right back the same way? Also how is it “miraculous” when the whole time I feel like these things always end up tranquilized or worse. Maybe somebody baited it from that apartment area? Idk.
All these shelter-in-place warnings make no sense to me. Mountain lions aren’t like bears that want to eat you right away, it was probably lost, right? And they’re trying to figure out how it crossed the freeway… pretty sure cars are the least of the problems, it’s probably the city development pushing them out or something. Two weeks, two lions, coincidence my butt. If they’re so rare then why keep happening.