SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The mountain lion spotted and captured in Natomas Sunday is healthy and on its way to a release in the wild, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife Officer Patrick Foy.
The report of the cat in the area of Merrivale Way and Bessemer Court in Natomas came in around 10 a.m., said Jayce Huggins, Chief Animal Control Officer with the city of Sacramento.
The young male mountain lion was healthy and experts believe he may have been looking for new territory when he got a bit too far from the mountain areas, according to information from state wildlife biologists.
It is very rare that a mountain lion makes it into the valley, Officer Huggins said, adding that the most recent mountain lion spotted was last year in the east area near the river.
Mountain lion captured in Natomas | Gallery
ABC10 was first alerted to the rare sighting when a Natomas woman shared video captured by the Ring camera on her front door. In the video, the cat can be seen turning the corner from the driveway to the front door and looking around for less than 15 seconds before moving on.
Around 1 p.m. animal control officers were able to hit the cat with a tranquilizer, but the cat soon got up and they continued to follow it toward Maybrook Drive.
By 1:30 p.m., more than three hours after first reported, officers were able to successfully tranquilize and capture the mountain lion.
Officer Huggins said the year-and-a-half-old mountain lion will be taken to a hilly area and returned to the wild.
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WATCH MORE: Mountain lion captured in Natomas | RAW
ABC10 was there as police and animal control officers worked to tranquilize and capture the mountain lion spotted roaming a Natomas neighborhood.