San Francisco Police say mountain lion 'confused and lost' in East Cut, puzzled Internet asks 'where's that?'
San Francisco Police warned people on the Internet that a mountain lion was spotted in the East Cut Neighborhood and sparked a state of fright and panic. The incident was first reported by a Twitter user, who posted a picture of the animal. "At around 12:30 am I spotted a mountain lion roaming the streets of Russian Hill. I followed from inside my car and lost visual contact near intersection of Greenwich and Jones. Be safe when walking alone at night or when walking your pets. I reported the sighting to @SFPD," he wrote.
The San Francisco Police tweeted: "Mountain Lion Spotted. Mountain Lion last spotted in the East Cut Neighborhood of #SF. If seen stay away, back up slowly facing the lion, and do not run. Call @SFACC at 415-554-9400. For after-hours assistance please call 911." The next tweet in the same thread read, "It is likely the mountain lion is confused and lost, and will soon find its way south and out of the city. If approached by the mountain lion make yourself appear big and shout. Remain vigilant and use caution outdoors."
No sooner did they post it, the big question in most minds was: Where is East Cut neighborhood? Apparently, there is no place called East Cut as it has always been called Rincon Hill. People found this out as they looked at the location on the map shared by the cops. "SFPD. Seriously. Why call it the East Cut? Who approved that?" one tweet read. Another said, "Native here... what is east cut?" Another said, "The police in San Francisco tweeted out an urgent warning that a mountain lion is loose in the city. However, they said it was in the East Cut neighborhood and no one has heard of that. They've always called it Rincon Hill." Another posted, "So presumably someone could be attacked by a mountain lion because police used trendy area branding. In Minneapolis terms it's like if a moose was loose in East Town."
"People REALLY need to stop playing Jumanji," one joked and another said, "I can’t even. Please protect the mountain lion from #JennyExotic! @bettersoma do you think she’s already prowling the area?" Another mocked the entire fiasco saying, "It's not a mountain lion. It's my maine coon cat Jack. We just watched the Last Jedi and he thinks he's a Sith Lord." Another said, "That's my old hood in San Francisco. Maybe he is hanging in one of the fancy high rises, enjoying the view while not paying $4K in rent." Another wrote, "Spotted in the what?" One went on to say, "Wow, never imagined a possibility of running into a Mountain Lion while stepping out for a run today. 2020 is unpredictable." One tweet read: "East Cut? No such place."
Many wondered how the mountain lion got there in the first place. "How did a mountain lion get there? Probably looking for work," one posted and another wrote, "He's loose?? Without a mask?" Another even went on to say: "That land belongs to the lions. It was stolen from them by men. We need to all walk away from it and return it to the big cats. Let San Francisco return to the forest it once was. It’s the only green answer."
Initially, the officials had said that the mountain lion was seen on Market Street near Front Street. "This is a very young animal-much smaller and younger than mountain lions usually are when they disperse and explore new territory," SF Animal Care & Control said. The tweet had a picture of a different cub of about the same age.