(CNN) Firefighters are well known for their cat-rescuing skills. But members of San Bernardino County Fire department faced a bigger challenge than your average trapped tabby when called to a home in California on Saturday.

Arriving at the house in Hesperia, San Bernardino County, they found a large cougar, or mountain lion, sitting about 50 feet (15 meters) in the air in a tree in the backyard.

The homeowner was gardening when they became aware of the cougar, authorities said.

Staff from the California Department of Fish & Wildlife tranquilized the big cat before firefighters approached it using a ladder, the fire department said in a Facebook post

It was then lowered from the tree in a harness, assessed by wildlife experts and released back into the wild.

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