Police and California Department of Wildlife crews late Monday removed a mountain lion from a parking lot of a busy office complex in Pleasanton.
Four doses were used to tranquilize the puma, police said. The big cat dubbed the #PleasantonPuma appears to be a 9- to 12-month-old male, police said. The mountain lion is about 75 to 80 pounds and appears healthy, which means he can be re-released, according to police.
Officials first notified residents of the mountain lion around 4:35 p.m. Monday through a police Nixle alert and posts on social media. The puma was spotted at 3825 Hopyard Road, near West Las Positas Boulevard and east of Interstate 680.
Police later confirmed a mountain lion was "hunkered down" in the area, prompting Hopyard Road to be shut down in both directions. During the response, office workers in the area were escorted by police to their cars.
The Alameda County Sheriff's Office also assisted in capturing the mountain lion, even deploying a drone with thermal imaging to track the puma's movements.
The puma was released late Monday in a remote part of the Sunol Regional Wilderness, DFW officials said.
