• The appearance of a mountain lion sparked panic in an upscale residential neighborhood in San Francisco
• The animal was calmed and captured using tranquilizers to ensure the safety of residents

A mountain lion weighing around 35 kilograms caused a state of fear in an upscale San Francisco neighborhood before authorities were able to take control.

Dozens of officials worked to calm the animal and capture it using tranquilizers, after warning residents to slowly back away if they encountered the lion.

Roxanne Blank was being driven home when she saw the massive animal walking calmly through the streets and climbing the stairs of her apartment, about half a mile (0.8 kilometers) from where it was eventually captured on Tuesday.

She said: "At first, I thought it was a dog, but after seeing its tail, I realized it wasn’t. When I turned on the motion light, I saw its face and said to myself, ‘Oh my God, it’s a mountain lion!’"

Blank added that she remained calm and took out her phone to record video while the lion stared directly at her for more than five minutes: "We were exchanging glances, and I felt calm, as if the lion was calm too. I stood there in shock, I couldn’t believe what was happening."

After a few minutes, the animal started descending the stairs and ran away when Blank’s dog began barking inside the apartment, prompting her to call the police immediately.

Madree Hilton also filmed the animal later and reported it to authorities, according to a local newspaper.

Assistant Fire Chief Mariano Elias said the mountain lion was found on Tuesday hiding in a garden between two residential buildings.

He explained that officials had to tranquilize the animal three times to ensure it lost consciousness completely, and they covered its eyes and tied its claws to prevent it from escaping.