Wildlife officials immobilize mountain lion found in Redwood City yard

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Wildlife officials chemically immobilized a mountain lion found in a Redwood City yard on Monday morning and are preparing to relocate the big cat to a natural habitat in the region.

The young female mountain lion, estimated to be 1 to 2 years old, was spotted in the 1800 block of Madison Avenue. The sighting prompted Redwood City police to issue an advisory shortly before 11 a.m. for residents in the area to keep their pets indoors.

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There's no risk to the public, but officials asked people to avoid the area while they collar and move the big cat.

"This appears to be a no-harm, no-foul situation where a mountain lion has left nearby suitable habitat and wandered into a populated area," said Krysten Kellum, spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The agency's response is to assess the situation and the mountain lion's health before immobilizing it and moving it to a suitable open space natural habitat, Kellum said.

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The big cats avoid populated areas and are very wary of humans but sometimes make their way into cities.

"They will typically return to suitable habitat on their own but on occasion need CDFW's intervention to get back to that open space," Kellum said.