It's high time for a roundup of Bay Area animal news! (Does anyone know when Animal Cops San Francisco is going to start? We're dying here!)

Lock up your tasty dogs and kids! Yet another mountain lion spotted in Palo Alto! Children are walking to school with their backpacks on their heads (to appear larger) and the town's tony residents are closing their garages so as not to find a lion under the Jaguar (ha!). If you see the lion, incidentally, make loud noises, wave your arms over your head, and don't run -- instead, just back away slowly. We're going to try that policy with crazy commenters next.

Up in liberal San Francisco, Matt Gonzalez is going after the only GOPs remaining in the area by proposing legislation to ban elephants from the San Francisco zoo. After two elephants died this year, the other two elephants at the zoo are being moved to an animal sanctuary and Gonzalez now proposes that the zoo just no longer house elephants, and that the entire zoo be placed under the oversight of the city's Animal Care and Control office. The zoo is concerned that if they lose all their elephants, they could lose their zoo accreditation entirely and urge Gonzalez and the Board to discuss these issues with them at greater length rather than just legislating away.

And finally, San Francisco is leading the entire Bay Area in number of licenses for assistance dogs issued -- we're at 658, while the next closest county, Marin, lags at 199, and Alameda trails in back with 19. People say it's because we love our dogs so much in the city, but honestly, it sounds like it's because if you get a license, your landlord has to let you keep the dog. People get licenses not only for guide dogs and hearing-assistance dogs but also to alleviate depression or other psychiatric problems too. You can get a license for any type of trained animal, though Animal Care and Control did say that they recently turned down an application for an assistance potbellied pig. The officer says, "I didn't want to get into that. What if a guy comes in asking about his hamster, and wanted to take his hamster to Macy's? Because this is San Francisco, we had to draw the line somewhere." Ouch -- sometimes the truth hurts.