Texas Parks and Wildlife confirms first documented mountain lion sighting in Dallas County

DALLAS, Texas (KTVT) — Dallas County had an extremely rare visitor last week.

But it’s the kind of visitor that could cause some chills.

It was in a neighborhood near Lake Ray Hubbard off Dalrock in Rowlett where a homeowner’s security camera captured one of the rarest creatures in Texas, a mountain lion.

It’s an animal that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says hasn’t had a documented appearance in Dallas County until now.

A video recorded on Sunday behind the home of a couple was posted on YouTube.

It shows what the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department confirmed to be a mountain lion wandering past the property from two different angles.

State wildlife workers later inspected the area found tracks to back up their initial suspicion that it was indeed a mountain lion.

They analyzed the video and ruled out other possible types of wildlife such as a bobcat because its tail was long enough to drag on the ground.

CBS 11 received a statement from TPWD saying, “Biologists suspect that this mountain lion is most likely a transient juvenile male that is just passing through as it searches for a home range, a place where it can establish itself. The mountain lion and its tracks were spotted on a private property in Rowlett… Mountain lion’s food sources include deer as well as feral hogs and there is not a large deer population in the area where this lion was spotted. So, it could have been searching for feral hogs/a general food source.”

Wildlife experts also says mountain lions can travel many miles during a week so they would be surprised if it’s seen again.