Texas Parks Send Out Warning on Mountain Lion Activity

Officials at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are sending out a warning to residents in West Texas as mountain lion sightings are on the rise!

A recent mountain lion sighting in the Trans-Pecos region has prompted the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to warn residents and give out tips on what to do if you find yourself face to face with the creature!

TPWD says:

If you see a mountain lion, remain calm, pickup small children and pets, and back away slowly while maintaining eye contact with the lion. Do not turn and run. When given space to flee, the lion will most often leave human-dominated environments.

These tips are definitely important to remember as the weather gets warmer; it's not too uncommon to see some of the mountain lions come down into residential areas looking for food or water.

Although this occurred in the Trans-Pecos region, here in El Paso we have also had our fair share of mountain lion sightings! They've been spotted in backyards and roaming neighborhoods. In fact, it wasn't too long ago that El Pasoans thought that someone was playing "Jumanji" that started with a mountain lion sighting!

Officials also reminded residents that if you do encounter a mountain lion, to contact law enforcement, your local Texas Game Warden and report the sighting to your local TPWD Wildlife Biologist as well!

I think the most important thing to remember here is to remain calm! Although it is a predatory animal and it may seem impossible to stay calm, but it's more likely that the the mountain lion is more scared of you than you are of it!