California woman finds mountain lion in back yard

Feb. 28 (UPI) -- A California woman managed to snap some photos after she and her 11-year-old son came face to face with a mountain lion in their back yard.

Danielle Deming said her son, Michael, 11, was putting his bike away just before 2:30 p.m. Feb. 20 when she spotted some movement near a fence behind her home in Irvine.

"Just as Michael closed the gate to come around to the front door I saw a large cat face appear," Deming told the Orange County Register. "It was a mountain lion in our backyard watching Michael. I was very concerned because I didn't expect to see it in a residential neighborhood."

Deming quickly ushered Michael inside just before the big cat climbed over a fence to a neighbor's yard. She said she texted a warning to her neighbors and called the Irvine Animal Control Center.

"It sounded crazy and I didn't think they would believe me," she said. "The animal control officer that called me back even said that the last person who reported a mountain lion had actually seen a large mama raccoon with six of her babies hanging onto her."

Deming said the cougar jumped back over the fence moments later and she snapped photos of the feline to send to the animal control officer.

"It looked very calm, and it wasn't until later that I took a closer look at the pictures that I could see how big its paws were and that its claws were extended," Deming said.

Animal control officers soon arrived in the neighborhood and were able to shoot the mountain lion with a tranquilizer dart.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said the 3-year-old, 110-pound male mountain lion was relocated back to its natural habitat.

Officials said the big cat had apparently been tracking some prey when it ended up lost in the urban environment.

"It was in the wrong place and had no route back to its habitat," CDFW spokesman Andrew Hughan said.