A small mountain lion was tranquilized and relocated after being found this week near the backyard of a home in the city of Santa Barbara, officials say.
Lieutenant Jaime Dostal with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife says a resident along the 2300 block of Anacapa Street called 911 to make the report shortly after noon Thursday.
The resident said their dog kept barking and when they looked outside, they noticed what appeared to be a mountain lion in a thick hedge along the back of their yard.
Santa Barbara police responded and later called in fish and wildlife.
Video taken by police shows the small cat, estimated to be 40 to 50 pounds in size and likely between 1- and 2-years-old, in the brush hissing at officers.
Dostal says the animal would have had a hard time getting back to open space so the decision was made to tranquilize it and relocate it to the Los Padres National Forest.
The mountain lion did not have any sign of injuries and looked to be in good health, according to Dostal.
It is unknown exactly how the animal made its way into the residential area.
Santa Barbara police and animal control also assisted.
While there have not been any other recent reports of mountain lions in that immediate area, Dostal says there have been multiple sightings within just a few miles.
