“We live in Bremond, Texas. This cat was on our back porch last night and killed 14 chickens and one of our mini pot bellied pigs from 4:30pm to 6:00pm... we left at 4:30, pig and chickens were fine, came back home about 6:00 and chickens were dead everywhere and pig was tore up in the flank. Then this cat was on our back porch.
Bridget *****”
I get a lot of emails along these lines. Most of the time, the readers who are reporting the incidents never see the predator responsible and can only speculate as to what the culprit might have been. This time is different. Bridget provided not only photos of tracks, but a shot of the cat itself as it sat on her porch. There is no doubt that the cat in the photo is a cougar.
I have replied to Bridget asking for some additional information and permission to visit the property, as it is not far from where I live. I have yet to hear back from her. I have been holding the photo for about a week in the hopes that I would have some more details on the incident but decided to move forward, rather than waiting any longer. I still hope to hear back from Bridget and get some additional details.
Critics will, no doubt, consider the fact that this reader has yet to respond to my queries as a sign something fishy is going on with this report. Certainly, that is possible; however, I feel like this report is likely genuine. The email I received was a matter of fact run down of what happened with no embellishment. Generally, this is a good sign. Could this be a hoax? I suppose so. I really do not get that feeling, however.
Bremond is located in central Texas and is considered to be outside of the normally accepted range of mountain lions in the Lone Star State. According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife, “The Mountain Lion is found throughout the Trans-Pecos, as well as the brushlands of south Texas and portions of the Hill Country.” TPWD does concede, however that, “Sighting and kill reports indicate that mountain lions now occur in more counties than they did 10 years ago and appear to be expanding their range into central Texas.” My experiences, along with the many anecdotal reports I have received would seem to confirm this last statement.
As stated above, I do hope to hear back from Bridget and, possibly, visit the property. Whether that happens or not, mountain lions seem to be making a nice comeback in Texas and are beginning to refill a niche that has long been vacant in most of the Lone Star State. As they do so, there are bound to be some clashes between these predators and rural property owners. Hopefully, lions and people will be able to learn to coexist. I would hate to lose these majestic cats again from all but the westernmost and southernmost parts of Texas.
If that occurs, these magnificent cats might not get another chance.
References:
"Mountain Lion (Puma Concolor)." Texas Parks & Wildlife. Web. 2 Mar. 2015. <http://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/mlion/>.
I have some friends with a ranch in Gause,TX and they have had a cat on their property. They've heard the screams and one person had even seen it with cubs. That was as recent as last May. Considering the two towns are not far apart, and the wide range of the cats, I certainly believe her story.
ReplyDeleteRyan - Pearland
Good stuff Mike.
ReplyDeleteI can confirm a sighting of what was either a juvenile mountain lion or a jaguarondi at Lake Limestone, the first week of July, 2015. I was not the only one who saw it that morning. We were on a run about 8:30 am when it crossed the road about 50 yards in front of us. Based on the proximity to Bremond and the range of the jaguarondi, I suspect a young mountain lion.
ReplyDeleteBack in late May 2009, my wife and I saw a mountain lion approach hi way 7 from the south approximately 5 miles west of Marquez, TX. It was near dusk about 8:30 PM . The cat trotted over a small knoll toward the eastbound grass shoulder . We slowed our car as we traveled west. The cat sat on his haunches , his head the size of a medium honeydew melon . His color was a tan brown. Before he sat , I would estimate the cat's length from nose to hindquarters about 4 feet and just offhand guess 80 to 90 lbs. The cat actually looked lean and lanky. As we moved by , both us and the big cat were rubber necking each other. I called it a cougar, my wife called it a mountain lion. Guess we saw the same type of cat.
ReplyDeleteIn May 2009, my wife and I saw a mountain lion approach the south side shoulder of hi way 7 approximately 5 miles west of Marquis ,TX . We were traveling west near dusk approximately 8:30pm. The cat was tan brown color , estimate 5' to 5 1/2 ' long ,estimate 80 to 95 lbs. The cat looked long and lanky , head the size of a medium honeydew melon. The cat stopped a few feet short of the roadside, sat on it's haunches , and "rubber necked" our direction as we passed by.
ReplyDeleteI cant say for sure it the one my daughter and i saw was the same one on the ladies porch but my husband is from Bremond and after leaving a family get together in Bremond we say one walk across the road in front of my car it stop looked at my car then walked on across the road.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, I saw mountain lion tracks on my land a few miles north of Palestine, TX (between Palestine and Poynor). They ARE out there.
ReplyDelete