# Mountain lion captured in the middle of San Francisco **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 27, 2026, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100 "2026-01-27T20:09:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/21 "2026-01-27T21:56:46Z")
Old time Mountain men also used to call them a Painter, which was some illiterate version of panther. You can read it in books about the period and in some old movies. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/22 "2026-01-27T22:02:47Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Old time Mountain men also used to call them a Painter, which was some illiterate version of panther. I think that’s what they call “authentic frontier gibberish”. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/23 "2026-01-27T22:07:31Z")
One of the “most SF things ever” I’ve seen is a sign explaining to people that a coyote is in the area, explaining what a coyote is, it’s not a dog and don’t pet it. I think this was Buena Vista Park. As for mountain lions, expect it’s not the last one. Males can range far, a certain percentage have a tendency for wanderlust. > [@DPRK](#): > > OK, appreciate the link— I was under the impression that in California they typically call them “mountain lions”, though. > [@DPRK](#): > > OK, appreciate the link— I was under the impression that in California they typically call them “mountain lions”, though. Correct. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/24 "2026-01-27T22:15:17Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > > [@ricepad](#): > > > > Plenty of cougars in SF, but mountain lions? > > Is there a difference? For me the terms refer to the same species of animal. Whooooosh. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/25 "2026-01-27T22:20:35Z")
Up north, here in the PNW, I think “mountain lion” and “cougar” are used about equally. If you say “puma”, people will know what you mean, but might assume you’re talking about a shoe brand. It’s rare to hear them referred to as “panther”, but that term is used elsewhere in the US. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/26 "2026-01-27T22:21:19Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Might it have actually taken public transportation? Or at least, a public transportation right-of-way? Around here, the land immediately to the sides of the transit rails is often pretty wild, and secluded in a valley below the surrounding land, which makes them often used as corridors by wildlife. Agree that is plausible. Along with utilizing the beach at night. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/27 "2026-01-27T22:25:46Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > > > Old time Mountain men also used to call them a Painter, which was some illiterate version of panther. > > I think that’s what they call “authentic frontier gibberish”. 😆 No talking like a grizzled 1890s prospector, consarn it! ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/28 "2026-01-27T22:40:32Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > No talking like a grizzled 1890s prospector, consarn it! Rerrrit! ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/29 "2026-01-27T23:56:15Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > > [@ricepad](#): > > > > Plenty of cougars in SF, but mountain lions? Pretty crazy. > > I dunno, this one seems like he’d fit in just fine: > > [https://cdn.hanna-barberawiki.com/b/b9/Snagglepuss\_Lion.png](https://cdn.hanna-barberawiki.com/b/b9/Snagglepuss_Lion.png) No doubt I am too sensitive. But it is hard for me to believe that this would be considered funny in 2026. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/30 "2026-01-28T00:17:58Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > But it is hard for me to believe that this would be considered funny in 2026. I never even put together the “Snagglepuss is gay” joke. I watched him on TV as a kid and, okay, in retrospect I get it (speaks effeminately, has pink fur), but I didn’t realize that was what the comment was. That went over my head. I just thought of him as a “fancy panther”, and thought that was the reference. I feel dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/31 "2026-01-28T00:22:11Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I just thought of him as a “fancy panther” Or, British, even. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/32 "2026-01-28T00:23:51Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > “Snagglepuss is gay” Snagglepuss is gay?? That thought had honestly never occurred to me. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/33 "2026-01-28T00:41:10Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > Snagglepuss is gay?? That thought had honestly never occurred to me. Okay, so I’m not the only one. But I think that was what @Roderick_Femm was referencing, since this is a story about a cougar in San Francisco, and one thing the city is known for is its gay scene. That’s the only way I can think that the comment might be considered offensive, and as I said, in retrospect that makes sense. I just didn’t pick up on that angle. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/34 "2026-01-28T00:49:42Z")
I think that a pink cat, in general, is the sort of thing that wouldn’t seem out of place in San Francisco. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/35 "2026-01-28T00:58:13Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > > [@blondebear](#): > > > > SF Animal Control Locates Mountain Lion In Pac Heights, Will Transport It Elsewhere > > Plenty of cougars in SF, but mountain lions? Pretty crazy. It might survive in the Presidio quite easily, but how would it have gotten there? I think maybe you should make extra-sure that your search history auto-clears periodically. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/36 "2026-01-28T01:09:50Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@ricepad](#): > > > > Snagglepuss is gay?? That thought had honestly never occurred to me. > > Okay, so I’m not the only one. But I think that was what @Roderick_Femm was referencing, since this is a story about a cougar in San Francisco, and one thing the city is known for is its gay scene. That’s the only way I can think that the comment might be considered offensive, and as I said, in retrospect that makes sense. I just didn’t pick up on that angle. Is “cougar” meant to denote _any_ older person seeking sexual pleasure with a younger partner? I always assumed it referred to older women who pursue younger men. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/37 "2026-01-28T01:15:05Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > > [@Chronos](#): > > > > Might it have actually taken public transportation? Or at least, a public transportation right-of-way? Around here, the land immediately to the sides of the transit rails is often pretty wild, and secluded in a valley below the surrounding land, which makes them often used as corridors by wildlife. > > Agree that is plausible. Along with utilizing the beach at night. A few years ago there was an episode of Nature titled “Meet the Coywolf” about coyote/wolf hybrids, primarily in SE Canada and NE US. While I’m going from memory — it seems to have disappeared from the PBS website — researchers put a tracking collar on one and found that he had a remarkably large range, primarily using railroad right of way. So it seems logical that a cougar could do the same. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/38 "2026-01-28T01:16:04Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Is “cougar” meant to denote _any_ older person seeking sexual pleasure with a younger partner? > > I always assumed it referred to older women who pursue younger men. I don’t think it was a play on slang for “cougar”, just the city itself. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/39 "2026-01-28T01:30:50Z")
[quote=“Atamasama, post:38, topic:1027100, full:true”] > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Is “cougar” meant to denote _any_ older person seeking sexual pleasure with a younger partner? > I always assumed it referred to older women who pursue younger men. I don’t claim to be a San Franciscan, but I was raised by one. > [@](#): > > I don’t think it was a play on slang for “cougar”, just the city itself. But this is the very first I’ve heard of The City being likened to a cougar (of either description). ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100/40 "2026-01-28T01:37:18Z")
I’ve personally never heard of it called a ‘panther,’ except in the case of Florida panthers. However. . . for decades there have been intermittent sightings of ‘black panthers’ (i.e. mountain lions) in the southeast. Game wardens have said repeatedly that (except for the aforementioned Florida panthers), it’s very unlikely that there are mountain lions of any color in the Eastern US. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mountain-lion-captured-in-the-middle-of-san-francisco/1027100.md?page=3)