A large mountain lion gave customers at an Irvine salon quite a scare on Tuesday when it ran past their front window. An employee quickly shut the salon door before the mountain lion charged right into it.
“I was standing at the front desk and a client says, ‘Oh my God,’ said Elliot Matthews, an Salon employee said. “All I saw at first was this big thing and a tail.”
After getting scared away from the salon, the animal ran into an open door of a nearby office building forcing occupants to scramble to safety on the second floor.
Local veterinarian, Dr, Scott Weldy was able to tranquilize the animal as it paced the lobby of the office building, and with the help of animal control brought it to his clinic for a check-up and to be collared for future tracking.
According to Dr. T. Winston Vickers of the California Mountain Lion Project, most of the mountain lions encountered in residential areas are young males trying to establish new territory away from their mother's area.
He noted that the captured mountain lion was about 16-20 months old, and at the age range when they will venture out on their own.
Witnesses at the salon reported that the lion didn't look like it wanted to attack, it was just trying to get away from people.
A mountain lion was captured at a home in nearby Mission Viejo just a day prior to this incident.