![The big cat was successfully removed.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/2R3Y5XWQQHUUR3TBDPRRFRWD54.jpg?auth=960c137ea49b2a982630b92008c01dff8f86e01d26b2a304f3cf63eee2e95739&width=16&height=13&quality=70&smart=true)
![The cougar was evaluated before being released back into the wild.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/JWFPORIR7EGDUW6YPPW7QMFPDE.jpg?auth=f451df7c1fac1debfcc034136c3315f56e87068bb2267c45c1409313546844c4&width=16&height=14&quality=70&smart=true)
Firefighters have rescued a very big cat — a mountain lion — from a tree outside a home in the Southern California desert.
The homeowner called authorities after spotting the animal near the edge of the San Bernardino Mountains.
San Bernardino County firefighters found the large mountain lion perched on a branch about 15m high.