Mountain lion spotted next to Paso Robles elementary school is tranquilized, relocated
A mountain lion that spent much of Tuesday resting in dense brush near a Paso Robles elementary school was tranquilized and moved to a nearby wildlife area after nightfall.
Officers with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife and the Paso Robles Police Department tried to get the animal to move from its spot at the corner of River Oaks Drive and Clubhouse Drive, adjacent to Kermit King Elementary School, so they could tranquilize it safely.
“It was not leaving that vegetation. We tried to coax it to leave and get it to leave on it’s own, but we had to tranquilize it to move it,” Lt. Matthew Gil of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife said.
They were unable to shoot the mountain lion with a tranquilizer until Tuesday night because of the dense brush surrounding it, according to Gil.
The Paso Robles Police Department responded to reports of the mountain lion around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday and secured the area until Fish & Wildlife officers arrived, according to the police department.
A person reportedly spotted the cougar while walking their dog in the area when the dog began to bark at a bush that was covering the mountain lion. The dog walker reported the sighting to the police, according to Gil.
“The only reason we knew there was a mountain lion there was because the dog barked,” Gil said.
Gil said the mountain lion was a sub-adult and appeared to be in good health.
He said the cougar was not causing any problems and appeared to be resting. Gil said the mountain lion was likely just curious and exploring the area.
The mountain lion had been in a closed area surrounded by a 6-foot-tall chain-link fence covered in dense vegetation and brush.
Officers were on the scene from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday, when the incident was turned over to an environmental scientist with the Department of Fish & Wildlife.
At around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, they were able to get a shot and tranquilize the mountain lion so they could move the animal to a nearby area, according to Gil.
“It was a successful darting,” Gill said.
The mountain lion was determined to be a 60-pound male who was about a year to year and a half old. He said they ear-tagged the mountain lion before releasing him.
Gil assured that Fish and Wildlife officers have no intention of harming the mountain lion and advised that residents in the area visit https://wildlife.ca.gov to find out more about how to live with wildlife in the area.
This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 3:46 PM.
