Mountain lion seen in Dallas suburbs – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department confirms that a mountain lion was seen in Frisco, near Lake Lewisville.

The lion was captured on security camera footage and reported to the state parks department on Nov. 4.

Frisco resident Brent Blackwell said he woke up to an alarm 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 it’s usually a rabbit (or) dogs have been sprayed by skunks,” Blackwell said. “I played that video, zoomed in. It startled me and woke me up real quick.”

Blackwell said it was the size of the animal’s tail that made him uneasy.

“That’s when 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 exiting the backyard.

Blackwell posted the short video on his neighbors page. He said his neighbors are worried about the safety of their pets and children.

“No one has seen it during the day, and hopefully we won’t. Hopefully it went on and we don’t see it,” Blackwell said.

According to Sam Kieschnick, Urban Wildlife Biologist for TPWD, the mountain lion is unlikely to return.

Experts advise the surrounding communities to be vigilant and not to panic.

“If it comes at you, you want to make sure you look like an aggressive organism as well,” Kieschnick said. “So fighting back, making loud noises, looking as big as possible is the best thing you can do.”

TPWD monitors the area and residents are asked to report any sightings to local wildlife biologist, Rachel Richter.

“It is likely that this mountain lion is just passing through and will not be in the area for an extended period of time,” Frisco police said in a news release.

In 2020, several mountain lion sightings were reported in Collin and Dallas counties, including an incident in Rowlett where a mountain lion was captured on a trail camera. Biologists said at the time that they suspected the mountain lion was most likely a transient, young male just passing through as it searched for a “home range, a place to 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 appear around dusk, are shy and elusive, and rarely cause conflict with humans. Experts said seeing a mountain lion is unusual, and seeing it a second time is even more so.

Attacks on humans are extremely rare, with fewer than 30 confirmed fatal mountain lion attacks on humans in North America in the past 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 that residents not allow children and small pets to play outside unsupervised. The department offered tips in case someone encounters a mountain lion:

• Immediately pick up all children from the ground.
• Do NOT approach the lion
• Remain calm. Speak calmly and move slowly.
• Face the lion and remain upright.
• Don’t turn your back on the lion. Go back slowly.
• DO NOT run.
• Do everything you can to enlarge your image. You must NOT bend down or try to hide
• If the lion is aggressive, throw stones, sticks or anything else you can get your hands on.
• If the lion attacks, fight back. Fighting back can drive lions away.

Mountain lions are known by many names, including cougars, cougars, panthers, painters, and catamounts. TPWD describes the cats as large and slender, with a small head and a noticeably long tail. Its coat is a light, golden brown color that can appear gray or almost black, depending on the lighting 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.