SANTA CRUZ, Calif. —
A
young male mountain lion tranquilized and rescued after it was trapped
for hours in an aqueduct near downtown Santa Cruz is being released
into the wild Thursday, a state Department of Fish and Wildlife
spokeswoman said.
The cat was first seen around 7 a.m. Later in
the morning, it became trapped in the Branciforte Creek aqueduct near
Water Street and May Avenue, police said.
Wildlife rescue crews
from the University of California at Santa Cruz Puma Project were able
to tranquilize the animal and it was transported to the Marine Wildlife
Veterinary Care and Research Center in Santa Cruz, department
spokeswoman Janice Mackey said.
Staff from Moss Landing-based
WildLife Emergency Services provided equipment for the rescue,
including netting to block escape routes at the creek after they were
alerted about the situation by Santa Cruz authorities around 8 a.m.,
group president Rebecca Dmytryk said.
A veterinarian from the Department of Fish and Wildlife was also at the scene, Mackey said.
A
staff member from WildLife Emergency Services helped the veterinarian
and police personnel move the tranquilized animal into a crate, Dmytryk
said.
"We were all working for the good of the animal as well as the safety of the people," Dmytryk said.
The mountain lion weighs about 100 pounds and is healthy and in "very good condition," Mackey said.
Dmytryk said the young mountain lion is likely a few years old.
The
mountain lion was taken to the center around 1 p.m. and was expected
to be released later Thursday -- after the effects of the tranquilizer
wore off -- into an undisclosed area of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Mackey
said.
No one was injured during the hours-long rescue effort, police said.
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