Cougar captured at Promenade mall in Temecula, California

© Joe Fanaselle

A mountain lion lies sedated in the bed of a pickup truck in the Promenade mall parking lot in Temecula.

A mountain lion that wandered into the Promenade mall parking lot in Temecula was tranquilized for removal but died shortly after, an official said.

At least one witness called the Riverside County Sheriff's Department reporting the lion walking near the Macy's store early Friday morning, March 6. The sheriff's department called in a Fish and Wildlife warden who used an air-powered gun to shoot it with a tranquilizer dart, said Kyle Orr, a spokesman with Fish and Wildlife.

As officials were taking the adult male lion into the wilderness, it died, Orr said.

The cause of death is unknown and a necropsy is planned, but in general, when an animal dies after being shot with a tranquilizer dart, the two most common causes are damage done by the needle and a bad reaction to the drug, Orr said.

The animal was not acting aggressively but because the area is so densely populated by humans, removing it was a necessity, he said.

How the big cat ended up at the mall is unknown, but the lion appeared a little younger than two years which is an age marked by a case of wanderlust, Orr said.

"At that age, that generally means they're dispersing, looking for their own territory," he said.

Though it's rare for them to get deep into populated areas without being detected, it's not unheard of, he said.

"They're pretty elusive animals and can move pretty stealthily," he said.