Mountain lion tranquilized after straying into Pasadena neighborhood

A mountain lion wandered south of the 210 Freeway into a Pasadena residential neighborhood Friday morning, prompting police to order residents to shelter in place before California wildlife officials tranquilized and removed the animal, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

City officials say no mountain lion has been documented this far south of the 210 Freeway in at least 30 years, an episode that highlights the widening overlap between urban Southern California communities and the surrounding wildlands.

Pasadena police were notified around 11 a.m. after the lion was spotted near Del Mar Boulevard and Euclid Avenue, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. Officers surrounded and sealed off the area while residents were told to remain indoors.

City Spokeswoman Lisa Derderian described the animal's trek into the urban area as remarkable. "It had to cross through major intersections of traffic, assuming it had to get down here, south of the 210 Freeway, so it's miraculous that this animal wasn't harmed just by vehicle traffic or spotted prior to getting here," Derderian said.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials responded to the scene, tranquilized the lion and safely transported it from the neighborhood, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Before the animal was released back into the wild, it was fitted with a tracking tag. Its sex had not been determined at the time of reporting.

The sighting was highly unusual by historical standards. The city has no record of a mountain lion venturing this far south of the 210 Freeway in the past 30 years, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

The mountain lion had not been previously tagged by state wildlife authorities, the report indicated. Its appearance follows two other mountain lion sightings on the east side of Pasadena, near the 210 Freeway corridor, within the past month.

Two other mountain lion sightings had been reported on Pasadena's east side, near the 210 Freeway, in the month before Friday's encounter, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife fitted the animal with a tracking tag before returning it to its natural habitat.