Wildlife officials respond after mountain lion found lounging in tree of Woodland Hills backyard
WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- A woman was startled to find a majestic mountain lion lounging in a tree Thursday afternoon in the backyard of a Woodland Hills home.
The unexpected discovery was made about 2 p.m. on a property near the intersection of Woodlake Avenue and Mariano Street -- about seven miles east of where the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing at Liberty Canyon is being constructed over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills.
Homeowner Corrina Bubenheim called 911 after being alerted to the mountain lion by her two German Shepherds.
"I looked up and I thought, 'It's a opossum, maybe,' Bubenheim said. "Then I saw the big claws and its fur and was like, well, it looks like a German Shepherd. But it's probably not a German Shepherd because they don't climb. It turns out it's a mountain lion."
Animal control and Department of Fish and Wildlife officials responded to the home, and the cougar eventually descended from the tree and made its way into a nearby wash.
Animal control officials then went door-to-door to make neighbors aware of the animal's presence in the area.
The incident comes days after officials announced that the Agoura Hills wildlife crossing is scheduled to open by early 2026.
On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that construction crews are now more than halfway through installing the beams that form the crossing.
Last month, the first of 82 large concrete beams were erected above the 101 Freeway at Liberty Canyon Road. The crossing will be one of the largest crossings of its kind in the world, stretching 210 feet over 10 lanes of the 101 Freeway.
