Hungry mountain lion trapped in SoCal family’s backyard after raiding henhouse

A Southern California family trying to bust a beast attacking its pets by rigging a trap to catch the sneaky predator got the surprise of a lifetime when they found a mountain lion lurking inside.

The Hernandez family noticed that several of its henhouse chickens and four cats had gone missing from their Fallbrook backyard in San Diego County.

“There was a big hole on the rooftop and there were chickens missing and there were feathers all over the place,” Sonia Hernandez told FOX 5.

The family thought a coyote was to blame, so her father-in-law decided to build a homemade trap to catch the culprit. They were shocked to later find a mountain lion inside.

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Fearing for her kids’ safety, Sonia said the family called 911 — only for wildlife officials to arrive the following day and release the animal back into the wild.

California law requires any privately trapped mountain lion to be set free in the same area where it was caught.

Hernandez said she understood that authorities were following protocol, but she and neighbors thought they would relocate the cougar to another area.

“We weren’t really happy about that because of our children and animals,” she said.

She added that “we do have that fear it will come back.”

Neighbor Jeanette Villegas, who owns horses on her property, also expressed concern.

“Releasing that animal knowing it has a food source, I believe it may come back,” Villegas said. “And I walk the property in the evening to check on my animals, and who knows if it’s watching me. It could be lurking behind a building, a bush, anything.”