Mountain lion runs into open business in Irvine
A 113-pound mountain lion was tranquilized and captured today after it ran into an Irvine business.
"Never had such a wild encounter like that," said witness Claire Leenerts. "It was very scary."
Animal control and law enforcement initially tried to sedate the mountain lion but failed. That's when it ran into a nearby business, where Mark Waterhouse, an employee at Morse Micro got the shock of his life.
"When I first looked up I saw a cat hit the door, hit the partition, and wander through," said Waterhouse. "It just decided that this Is where It wanted to be, I guess."
In a pun-filled Facebook post, the Irvine Police Department said their "claw-enforcement officers" were dispatched to the scene.
We are not lion, we had a purr-ty scary situation on our paws today. IPD received reports of a mountain lion 🦁 in the...
Posted by Irvine Police Department on Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Waterhouse added that the cougar went into the nearby lab located inside of the building. The lab typically has 10 people working inside but a power outage in the morning sent them home early.
Animal Control was able to sedate the cougar and brought it to a vets office In Lake Forest where It Is being evaluated.
Over the weekend, a mountain lion was seen swimming in Orange County - no word If this Is the same cat.