Mountain lion roaming Redwood City neighborhood captured in home's backyard

A mountain lion roaming in a Redwood City neighborhood on Monday morning was shot with a tranquilizing dart by state game wardens.

The Redwood City Police Department sent an alert just before 11 a.m., saying officers were helping California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers in the area of Madison Avenue and Hudson Street in the city's Roosevelt neighborhood, near Red Morton Park.

Residents were encouraged to keep their pets indoors as a police drone unit searched the area and located the mountain lion in the backyard of a home on Madison Avenue.

Police spokesperson Capt. Junsun Lee said the drone was able to safely track the animal as Fish and Wildlife worked a plan to tranqulize and capture it. A CDFW spokesperson said in an email to CBS News Bay Area its officers and biologists typically assess the mountain lion's health before hitting it with a tranquilizer dart at around 11:30 a.m. The lion was later moved back to an open space habitat in the region.

"This appears to be a no-harm, no-foul situation where a mountain lion has left nearby suitable habitat and wandered into a populated area," spokesperson Krysten Kellum said. 

Kellum added that mountain lions avoid populated areas and are very wary of humans but sometimes make their way into cities.

"They will typically return to suitable habitat on their own but on occasion need CDFW's intervention to get back to that open space," Kellum said.

No people or other animals were injured or affected during the incident, police said.