While Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has confirmed no fatal attacks on humans by wild mountain lions in Texas, the recent sightings have led to warnings from city officials. NBC 5’s Alicia Barrera has more.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department confirms a mountain lion was spotted in Frisco, near Lake Lewisville.
The lion was recorded on security camera footage and reported to the state parks department on Nov. 4.
A Frisco resident, Brent Blackwell, said he woke up to an alert on his surveillance camera system Friday morning and reported the incident to the City of Frisco and The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), who confirmed the incident.
“Typically, it's not a big deal because normally it's a rabbit (or) dogs have been sprayed by skunks,” Blackwell said. “I played that video, zoomed in. That startled me and woke me up real fast.”
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Blackwell said it was the size of the animal’s tail that made him uneasy.
“That’s where I kind of realized it’s not a bobcat,” Blackwell said.
The animal’s tail is about two feet long. In the video, the mountain lion whips its body around and looks around the backyard for about ten seconds before leaving the backyard.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Blackwell posted the short video on his neighborhood page. He said his neighbors are worried for the safety of their pets and children.
“Nobody has seen it during the day and hopefully we don't. Hopefully, it moved on and we don't see it,” Blackwell said.
According to Sam Kieschnick, Urban Wildlife Biologist for TPWD, the mountain lion will likely not return.
Experts advise the surrounding communities to stay vigilant and not panic.
“If it does come towards you, you want to make sure that you look like an aggressive organism, too,” Kieschnick said. “So, fighting back, making loud noises, looking as big as possible is the best thing that you can do.”
TPWD is monitoring the area and residents are asked to report any sightings to the local wildlife biologist, Rachel Richter.
"It is likely that this mountain lion is just passing through and will not stay in the area for an extended period of time," Frisco police said in a news release.
In 2020, several sightings of mountain lions were reported in Collin and Dallas counties, including an incident in Rowlett where a mountain lion was recorded on a trail camera. Biologists said at the time that they suspected the mountain lion was most likely a transient juvenile male just passing through as it searched for a "home range, a place where it can establish itself."
The parks department previously said mountain lions are more common in the Trans-Pecos area, west of the Pecos River in far West Texas, but can be found throughout the state.
Mountain lions are crepuscular, generally appearing around twilight, are shy and elusive and rarely create conflict with people. Experts said seeing a mountain lion is unusual, and seeing it a second time is even more so.
Attacks on people are extremely rare, with fewer than 30 confirmed fatal mountain lion attacks on people in North America in the last 100 years. There are no records of a confirmed fatal attack on a person by a wild mountain lion in Texas.
When living in areas with possible mountain lion activity, TPWD recommends residents do not allow children and small pets to play outside unsupervised. The department offered tips in the event someone encounters a mountain lion:
- Pick up all children off the ground immediately.
- Do NOT approach the lion
- Stay calm. Talk calmly and move slowly.
- Face the lion and remain in an upright position.
- Do not turn your back on the lion. Back away slowly.
- Do NOT run.
- Do all you can to enlarge your image. Do NOT crouch down or try to hide
- If the lion is aggressive, throw rocks, sticks, or anything you can get your hands on.
- If the lion attacks, fight back. Fighting back can drive off lions.
Mountain lions are known by many names, including cougars, pumas, panthers, painters, and catamounts. TPWD describes the cats as large and slender, with a small head and a noticeably long tail. Its fur is a light, tawny brown color, which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. The mountain lion's body can be up to 4 feet in length, with a tail 2-3 feet long. They can be as tall as two and a half feet and weigh between 70 and 170 pounds.
Additional information about mountain lions in Texas can be found here.
