A Citrus Heights resident had an unexpected and scary visit this week.
On Monday, June 14, the local police department received a 911 call saying a mountain lion was up in a tree.
The first person to notice the lion was homeowner Keith Dunham since it was climbing up a tree in his front yard.
“I heard her start screaming, ‘Daddy, help me daddy, daddy!'” Dunham told CBS13. "He had to be 200 pounds, six feet long. When he was crawling around in the tree it seemed like the whole thing would shake."
CBS13 talked with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife about what brings a mountain lion to the city.
According to spokesperson Peter Tira, it's likely that young lions have left their mother and are trying to find their way back to the wild for the first time.
“What we see this time of year is young dispersing mountain lions. They’re trying to find territory trying to find food. It’s probably lost and a little bit confused,” Tira said.
The animal eventually found its way out of the neighborhood by hopping the fence into a nearby cemetery.
“Oftentimes these animals are good at getting out of these situations on their own,” said Tira.
The mountain lion hasn't been spotted in the area since Monday. The California Department of Fish & Wildlife said it likely made its way back to the wild.