The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department confirms a mountain lion has been spotted in Frisco, near Lake Lewisville.

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

Frisco resident Brent Blackwell said he woke up Friday morning to an alert on his surveillance camera system and reported the incident to the city of Frisco and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), who confirmed the incident.

“Normally it’s not a problem 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 I woke up very quickly.”

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

“That’s actually where I realized it’s not a bobcat,” Blackwell said.

The animal’s tail is about two feet long. In the video, the mountain lion turns its body around and looks around the backyard for about ten seconds before leaving the backyard.

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

“No one saw it during the day and hopefully neither will we. Hopefully it has moved 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 are advising surrounding communities to remain vigilant and not panic.

“If it does come 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 is monitoring the area and residents are asked to report any sightings to local wildlife biologist Rachel Richter.

“It is likely that this mountain lion is 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 recorded 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 looking for a “home range, a place where he can settle.”

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.

Cougars are crepuscular, usually appearing around dusk, are shy and elusive, and rarely cause conflict with humans. Experts say seeing a mountain lion is unusual, and seeing it a second time is even more unusual.

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.

If they live in areas where mountain lions may be active, TPWD recommends that residents do not allow children and small pets to play outside unsupervised. The department provided tips in case anyone encounters a mountain lion:

• Remove all children from the ground immediately.
• DO NOT approach the lion
• Stay calm. Talk calmly and move slowly.
• Look at the lion and stay upright.
• Don’t turn your back on the lion. Back away slowly.
• DO NOT run.
• Do everything you can to enlarge your image. DO NOT duck or try to hide
• If the lion is aggressive, throw rocks, sticks, or anything else you can get your hands on.
• If the lion attacks, fight back. Fighting back can drive lions away.

Cougars 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. The coat has a light, yellow-brown color, which can appear gray or almost black depending on lighting conditions. The mountain lion’s body can grow up to four feet long, with a tail 7 to 10 feet long. They can grow up to two and a half feet long and weigh between 70 and 170 pounds.

Additional information about mountain lions in Texas can be found here.