Mountain Lion Sightings in California: Wine Country & San Francisco

Mountain Lion Sightings Reported Across Northern California

A mountain lion was spotted in Sebastopol, California, on Sunday, February 1, 2026, just days after another puma was captured in San Francisco, authorities said.

The Sebastopol Police Department reported multiple sightings of the animal Sunday morning and advised residents in the area to bring pets indoors. As of Monday, February 2, 2026, the mountain lion had not been captured, according to police.

The sighting comes less than a week after a 77-pound mountain lion roamed the streets of San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood, capturing the attention of residents and animal control officials. The animal was eventually tranquilized and captured on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, after an hours-long standoff involving San Francisco Animal Care and Control, the San Francisco Zoo and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The San Francisco mountain lion, estimated to be around two years old, was released into a suitable habitat in the Santa Cruz Mountains early Wednesday morning, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Video footage of the release was posted by state wildlife officials.

Biologists with the Santa Cruz Puma Project were familiar with the San Francisco mountain lion, identifying him as a male they had previously tagged near Rancho San Antonio when he was approximately five weeks old. Richie King, a wildlife biologist with the Puma Project, had encountered the animal on at least four previous occasions, including once in a backyard in Saratoga in September.

Experts believe the young mountain lion was dispersing and attempting to find his own territory when he wandered into the city. King noted that the animal has been “pushed around by other males” who already have established home ranges.

The recent incidents have highlighted a growing concern regarding human-wildlife conflict in California. A coalition of wildlife advocates is calling for the state to reinstate and expand a coexistence program, which was defunded in 2024, at a cost of roughly $15 million annually. The program would have specialists dedicated to resolving conflicts between people and wildlife, including mountain lions, wolves, and coyotes.

California once had specialists dedicated to resolving conflict between people and wolves, mountain lions and coyotes. But after funding ran dry in 2024, the state let all but one of them go.