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Mountain lion captured in California shopping area
Wildlife officials tranquilized and captured a mountain lion after it wandered into a Southern California shopping center. Rebecca Barboza, a wildlife biologist with the California Fish and Wildlife Department, told the Orange County Register that the cougar ran into an open building, causing people to scramble while a veterinarian approached and tranquilized it.
“The cat was trying to get out and trying to find a place to go, so it was just sitting in corners and it climbed up on tables,” said Scott Weldy, of Serrano Animal & Bird Hospital, who administered the tranquilizer.
The sedated mountain lion was transported to the clinic to be examined and collared before being released into the wild.
Header Image: First responders pose with a tranquilized mountain lion that entered a Southern California shopping center Credit: Irvine Police Department