A visitor at Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Southern California on Sunday captured very rare footage of a coyote attempting to scare off a mountain lion.


The 100-pound mountain lion, which had been spotted on and off on or near a popular trail since July 7, was captured early Tuesday by game wardens with the state Department of Fish and Game.

The park, in Orange County, reopened Tuesday but Serrano Cow Trail remained closed in case the 2-year-old mountain lion, or cougar, had been traveling with its mother.

The park was initially closed on July 10, then reopened Sunday. That's when Robert Meyer captured the accompanying footage. The park was subsequently closed until the lion was captured early Tuesday.

Meyer, a veteran hiker, told the Orange County Register: "It's kind of unusual to see a coyote in the first place. It's rare to see a mountain. It's extraordinary to see the two of them interacting like this. It's just amazing."

DFG wardens at first tried scaring the cat off by shooting bean bags at the animal. The agency will determine whether to relocate or euthanize the cat.

Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park was the scene of a fatal mountain lion attack in 2004.