Male mountain lion just under 2 years old captured after getting stuck in Pacific Heights

A male mountain lion just under 2 years old was captured after becoming wedged between two apartment buildings in Pacific Heights, San Francisco, officials said.

Cellphone alerts went out late Monday night after the animal was spotted in the neighborhood; Animal Care and Control officers found it at about 1:30 a.m., saw it leap a tall fence and then become stuck in a narrow gap. Dozens of officials from the San Francisco Zoo, the San Francisco Police and Fire Departments, San Francisco Animal Care and Control and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife responded. Officials shut down a section of California Street, the city sent another alert and a nearby school went into lockdown.

A state official shot a tranquilizer dart from above, a zoo veterinarian fired two more darts and confirmed the animal was unconscious by prodding it with a pole. The mountain lion was examined, appeared healthy and carried an ear tag identifying him as a male who grew up about 50 miles south of the city; he weighed 77 pounds when placed in a metal cage. Officials said the plan is to release him back into his native South Bay habitat, and it is not known exactly how or why he ventured into the city.