A mountain lion that had been roaming around a Monrovia neighborhood for days was tranquilized after it was found Thursday morning under a house.
Monrovia police and California Department of Fish and Wildlife agents responded to the foothill neighborhood at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The big cat was under the house Wednesday night before coming out and walking down a street.
It went back under the house early Thursday, authorities said. Agents tranquilized the mountain lion and removed it from under the house.
It will be returned to a wilderness area.
The mountain lion was first reported over the weekend in the 800 block of West Olive Avenue and the 600 block of South Monterey Avenue.
Residents were warned not to leave pets and small children unattended when they’re outside.
The mountain lion population is high in California, relative to other parts of the United States. Density estimates vary, but the figure might be as high as 10 lions per 100 square miles. By that estimate, the population is somewhere between 4,000 to 6,000 mountain lions statewide.
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But it's difficult to say whether that population is increasing or decreasing without an ongoing statewide study.
One thing is certain -- mountain lions go where they can find food, primarily deer. That sometimes brings them into urban areas, but it should be noted that a person is 1,000 times more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The department receives hundreds of reports each year about mountain lions killing pets and livestock.
Mountain lions are a specially protected species in California under the California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990, approved as Prop 117 by California voters. Its passage made it illegal to hunt the big cats.
