Mountain lion caught on camera in North Texas back yard. What to do if you see one?
A North Texas man got a surprise Nov. 1 when his security camera caught a mountain lion in his back yard .
Brent Blackwell of Frisco told WFAA-TV that he recently installed the cameras to find out what was tearing up his back lawn . It turns out rabbits were to blame, and when Blackwell got an alert on his phone Friday morning he assumed they were at it again.
Instead, Blackwell saw a large creature wandering around his back yard.
"Initially I thought it was a bobcat, then zoomed in and saw the long tail," he said to WFAA.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials told Blackwell the animal was a mountain lion, and said it was probably after a rabbit, WFAA reported. A small rabbit can be seen in the video crouching behind pool equipment.
"The luckiest rabbit in the world right now," Blackwell told WFAA.
Texas Parks and Wildlife confirmed the sighting at the west Frisco home in a statement.
"TPWD is actively monitoring the area, but residents are asked to please report any additional mountain lion sightings to local biologists,"officials said in the statement. "It is likely that this mountain lion is just passing through and will not stay in the area for an extended period of time."
Blackwell believes the mountain lion jumped the fence to access the yard, WFAA reported. His home is located near Lake Lewisville.
"In Texas, mountain lions are primarily found in the Trans-Pecos and parts of South Texas; however dispersing individuals can move long distances and can show up far from areas with resident populations," Texas Parks and Wildlife said in its statement. "Mountain lions rarely create conflict with people. 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."
The department offered the following tips on what to do if you encounter a mountain lion:
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 lion sightings can be reported to TPWD DFW Urban Wildlife Biologist Rachel Richter at .
More top stories from our newsroom:
→ How did Donald Trump win? | Opinion
→ Election results for Tarrant County and Texas
→ Defendant tried to contact jury in death penalty trial
