Mountain lion spotted roaming around San Francisco

A mountain lion has been spotted on four separate occasions around San Francisco in the past several days in the first such sightings in the city in years, officials said.

Three people have reported what is believed to be a single adult male mountain lion since June 30, according to a statement from the National Park Service, San Francisco Animal Care and Control, and the Presidio Trust.

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The puma, which was also caught on a neighborhood security camera, has not been seen since last Friday and was believed to be heading south, the statement said, adding that there have not been any cougar sightings in the city "in many years" and never so far north in the city.

The four locations spanned a several-mile swath spanning from the city's Presidio in the northwest to Lake Merced further south.

The agencies are "working closely to monitor and manage the issue and to keep the community informed," the statement said.

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Mountain lions are "naturally wary" of humans and interactions between the species are very rare, according to the statement.