Screen grab of video shows mountain lion being released into the wild on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026 after it was found roaming San Francisco, Calif. (California Department of Fish and Wildlife via Bay City News)

The young mountain lion that was captured Tuesday after roaming the streets of San Francisco was returned to a natural habitat early Wednesday morning.

A video on social media posted by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW, showed the mountain lion exiting a cage and quickly disappearing into open space. 

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Alise is a general assignment reporter with a focus on covering government, elections, housing, crime, courts and entertainment in San Francisco and on the Peninsula. Alise is a Bay Area native from San Carlos. She studied history at University of California, Santa Cruz and first started journalism at Skyline College’s school newspaper in San Bruno. She has interned for Bay City News and for Eesti Rahvusringhääling, or Estonian Public Broadcasting. She has covered everything from the removal of former San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus to the divisive battle over the Great Highway on San Francisco’s west side. Please send her any tips.