Baby Mountain Lion Captured and Killed in Santa Monica
A baby mountain lion on the loose near the busy Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California was shot and killed after attempts to tranquilize the animal were unsuccessful, Santa Monica police confirmed.
A janitor first spotted the animal around 6 a.m. in the courtyard of a building located at 1227 Second St., between Wilshire Boulevard and Arizona Avenue.
(Editor's note - this story unfolded about a block away from the ModernMom office building. Needless to say, we were all pretty nervous about going out to get lunch today.)
Authorities estimated the female mountain lion was a juvenile and weighed between 65 and 100 pounds. It was contained in the courtyard, and Fish and Game agents attempted to remove the animal, but it was fatally shot around 9:15 a.m. after it tried to escape the courtyard.
Police said an incident of this kind is extremely rare:
"With the Santa Monica Mountains nearby, we see all kinds of critters," Santa Monica Police Department's Lt. Calisse Lindsey Santa told NBC LA. "Raccoons, deer -- it’s amazing what I've seen in last few years. It happens, but never a mountain lion in a building."
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