After several recent sightings in Collin County, another mountain lion may have been seen in North Texas early Thursday.
At about 3 a.m. on Nov. 14, a Little Elm resident awoke to their dog barking and a sound described as 'extreme wind.'
The resident said that only after approaching the backyard did they realize that the "wind" was a mountain lion "screaming very aggressively."
The witness said they did not capture any video footage of the cat itself, but they saw it with their own eyes. Strange noises can be heard in the footage provided by the resident, but it's unclear what is making the noise in the darkness.
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Biologists with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department could not confirm whether the creature was a mountain lion.
"Without images or clear video of the animal to accompany the audio, staff cannot determine the exact species the vocalizations were coming from," the state parks department said.
TPWD has confirmed several mountain lion sightings in Denton and Collin counties in the past few weeks. Because the cats are indigenous to North Texas, they may be different animals.
What to do if you encounter a mountain lion:
- Pick up all children off the ground immediately
- Do NOT approach the lion
- Talk calmly and move slowly
- Do not turn your back on the lion
- Do NOT run
- Enlarge your image and avoid crouching or hiding
- If the lion is aggressive, throw sticks, rocks or anything you can get your hands on
- If the lion attacks, fight back, which can drive them off
Residents are asked to please report any additional mountain lion sightings to TPWD DFW Urban Wildlife Biologist, Rachel Richter, at rachel.richter@tpwd.texas.gov.
