In an official statement from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD, they noted that in the early morning hours on Tuesday, Dec. 10, a mountain lion was struck by a Longview Police Department (LPD) patrol vehicle.
Jan. 2025 Update: Photographic proof of cougars in East Texas. Click here to see.
The police department contacted the Gregg County Game Warden and coordinated the retrieval of the deceased lion.
TPWD noted their staff took possession of the deceased lion to collect DNA and other biological samples. The lion was estimated to be a 3-4-year-old female weighing 83.5 pounds.
Several of the samples will be sent to the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute as part of an ongoing research project and some were retained by TPWD staff as part of our effort to learn more about mountain lions in Texas.
In Texas, mountain lions are primarily found in the Trans-Pecos and parts of South Texas, however individual lions can move long distances and can show up in areas where they are not typically known to occur.
That’s the end of the TPWD statement. Here’s where I want to share my thoughts.
*East Texas has had cougars for years. I do not believe the population is high, but I have seen one myself at close range. And I have received two first-person photos from game cameras of cougars in Jasper and Newton Counties. East Texas is part of their natural range as is the rest of the Lower 48, much of Canada and all the way down to Argentina. But like everything else, they were knocked way back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As deer and hog populations have exploded, cougars have turned up not only here but in Louisiana and other states.
*We will see more of this and in fact this is the second TPWD-confirmed cougar in the region in the last few years. The prevalence of game cameras will reveal more. Again, there aren’t a lot but cougars are here and as they noted they can move long distances.
*People have been afraid to come forward with reports to TPWD because of fear of being called crazy. They are asking for reports now, so if you have a game cam photo, etc., now would be a good time to reach out to them as they are obviously open to hearing reports. East Texas residents are asked to please report any additional mountain lion sightings to TPWD Nongame Wildlife Biologist Dave Holdermann, dave.holdermann@tpwd.texas.gov.
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