Mountain Lion Tranquilized, Removed from a Chico Tree After it was Chased by a Dog
A big, bad mountain lion thought it was the king of a Chico neighborhood. That is, until it met a local dog.
The Butte County Sheriff received call around 11 am today from a homeowner on Kelsey Drive in Chico who claimed their dog had chased a mountain lion up a tree. When sheriff and California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials arrived at the scene, they found the big cat high up in the tree. Now, they had to safely extract the it away from the neighborhood.
Just after 11:00 today, BCSO received a call from a homeowner on Kelsey Drive in Chico, advising that her dog had chased a mountain lion up into tree. Fish and Wildlife responded and were able to tranquilize the animal and will be returning it to the wild in an unpopulated area. pic.twitter.com/zXQPc1FQOC
— Butte County Sheriff (@ButteSheriff) April 6, 2020
CDFW officials were able to tranquilize the mountain lion but it fell asleep in the tree. An official from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was then forced to climb the tree, restrain the cat and lower it down. They were then able to release it back into the nearest suitable habitat.
It was an all-around successful mission for multiple agencies in this Chico neighborhood today. Even in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, these officials came together to safely and successfully remove the dangerous mountain lion without doing any harm to the animal.
Well done to all involved. Someone give that dog a treat!