A mountain lion broke into a San Francisco residence by breaking through the exterior glass window of the home in San Bruno on Tuesday.
The San Bruno Police Department said the homeowner’s collection of taxidermy trophy heads mounted on their interior walls attracted the animal into the residence. While the homeowner was able to scare the animal out of the house, authorities were unable to locate it afterward.
Lion Break-In
The owner of the San Bruno home said the animal broke into the residence at around 12:20 a.m. It was located in the 200 block of Ross Avenue near an open space that stretches from the coast of Pacifica to the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Officials said that mountain lion sightings are not uncommon in California. The Department of Fish and Wildlife said an average of about 4,000 to 6,000 mountain lions make their home inside the state. However, the San Bruno Police Department said the incident was still out of the ordinary.
The police department provided tips for homeowners to follow if they find themselves in a similar situation as the San Bruno resident. They encouraged families to secure their homes and install deer-proofing equipment to avoid attracting the lion’s main food source. Homeowners should also remove dense vegetation around their homes to reduce the areas that animals could be hiding in.
San Francisco officials captured a mountain lion last Wednesday after it roamed the city streets in broad daylight. Fish and wildlife data collected from the animal’s radio collar it was the same animal sighted roaming last week, the San Francisco Gate reported.
Officials found the animal up a tree on Santa Marina and Mission streets on the west side of Bernal Heights. They darted the mountain lion to put it to sleep before taking it in and transporting it to the Oakland Zoo before being released back into the wild.