Mountain Lion Captured In OC Park After 3rd Sighting In A Week

LAKE FOREST (CBS) — A mountain lion that had forced officials to close an Orange County wilderness park was in custody Tuesday.

KNX 1070's Claudia Peschiutta reports Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park at Portola Parkway and Market in Trabuco Canyon has reopened, but the trail where the mountain lion was found will remain closed.

California Department of Fish & Game spokesman Andrew Hughan told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO they caught the 100-pound male lion in a trap early Tuesday and are still deciding the animal's fate.

"No decision's been made at the moment," Hughan said. "It's being evaluated by a vet and everybody's taking a deep breath before we make any decisions."

The catch comes after a hiker videotaped the cougar chasing a coyote away from the Serrano cow trail — the third sighting in one week.

"We go on many, many mountain lion calls where people say, 'Hey, I saw a lion out here,'" Fish & Game Capt. Dan Sforza said. "Not very often do we go out there right to where it was the next day and the lion's right there."

Parks officials say the animal is about two years old, and they're concerned that its mother might still be in the area.