Mountain lion cub tranquilized in yard of S. Calif. house

Mountain lion cub tranquilized near Yucaipa home

10:00 PM PST on Saturday, December 6, 2008

By SEAN NEALON
The Press-Enterprise

A state Fish and Game warden used a tranquilizer dart to subdue a mountain lion cub that wandered Saturday into the side yard of a Yucaipa home, officials said.

Wardens responded about 2:30 p.m. to a report of three mountain lions being spotted near Fawn Ridge Place and Oak Glen Road, in the foothills of the San Bernardino National Forest, said Lt. Mike Stefanak of the Department of Fish and Game.

However, wardens only spotted the mountain lion cub that they tranquilized, Stefanak said.

Three mountain lions were seen in Yucaipa near Fawn Ridge Place and Oak Glen Road, in the foothills of the San Bernardino National Forest, at about 2:30 pm Saturday.
The cub was less than 30 pounds and less than a year old, he said.

Fish and Game wardens are holding the cub and trying to determine what to do with it, Stefanak said.

It won’t be released where it was captured because it’s too young and likely wouldn’t survive.

The cub might have followed a creek to the residential area, which is frequently the case with mountain lions as well as coyotes and black bears, Stefanak said.

He said the presence of the cub is a concern but that he doesn’t believe there is a threat to public safety in the area because the cub was captured.

However, he warned people not to approach mountain lion cubs.

The mountain lion sighting was the second in three days in the Inland region.

On Thursday, joggers reporting spotting a mountain lion in the Box Springs Mountain Nature Reserve, near Moreno Valley and about 20 miles from the Yucaipa location.

Fish and Game wardens did not locate the animal.

Stefanak said the sightings couldn’t be tied together other than by speculation that the mountains lions may both have been looking for water in a fairly dry time.

http://www.pe.com/localnews/publicsafety/stories/PE_News_Local_E_nlion07.474ba0a.html

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