Lions near Austin?

I have, more often in recent years as well. The numbers are growing in west Texas and it doesn't surprise me they are running into the edge of Austin. Nobody hunts them any more and there's not a lot but open land between Austin and New Mexico.

My sister is pretty sure she saw an ocelot down south of Austin, really rare, it's about the north end of their range.

But who knows the lady could just be seeing a large bobcat.

we have mountain lions in Michigan..some pets..some wild..i actually have petted a pet one, but there have been photos taken recently of several in the wild..

I'm in Lee County and yes they have been sighted here. We have a ranch in Lexington with bottom land and they have been sighted on it for years. Glad to see other HT's in the area. When I first saw the thread title, I thought you were looking for Lions Clubs in the area. LOL

Lions: Mountain lions, also called cougars or pumas.
Panthers are actually a dark charcoalish/brownish colour variety of jaguars, and there is some discussion among "experts" whether they still exist in Texas, but in south Texas dark coloured cougars are called panthers. I have no idea if they are actually a separate species or a colour variation. I've never seen one -- just lions, bobcats, and down south near Kingsville, an ocelot (which is also called a leopard) -- gorgous creature that. And, of course, ringtailed cats going after the poultry, which isn't even a cat, but a cousin of the racoon.

So, yes, there are lions in Texas, as well as other "big cats".

Hey, neighbor!

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I believe in God's willingness to heal.

Cyngbaeld's Keep Heritage Farm, breeding a variety of historical birds and LaMancha goats. (It is pronounced King Bold.)

Northern Bastrop county here..

i remember seeing lions, tigers, leopards & black panthers for sale in the classifieds of the dallas newspaper. although i know alot of sightings are BS. i don't doubt there are a few unusual critters running around any where in the USA.
actually the jaguar ranged alot farther than people realized. one was killed in PA in the late 1600s (almost certainly a far wanderer) and the last recorded kill east of the ole miss was in GA in 1750s. now this was the extreme north of the animals range so i doubt there was a resident population outside the gulf states & probably not a strong one there. the ocelot OTH ranged as far north as MO and all the way to the MS river. one trading post on the red river around 1800 bought 30,000 ocelot pelts per year.

Ah, the piney woods. A friend lives there, and I love to visit. Come home everytime with tons of pineneedles and cones.

Pops2,

They used to sell lions, tigers, etc....at Canton, TX, at the world's biggest flea market. They don't anymore but you can still pay and have a picture taken with a cub. Lots of other exotic animals for sale there than in the past. Wonderful place!

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Ted H

You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.
-Davy Crockett

Canton's... interesting, for sure.

I used to think there were no lions in Oklahoma anymore, but saw two this spring. One dead on the highway in Antlers (freaking huge!) another from my inlaws back window. Lots of deer back there, and folks routinely dump small dogs. At the risk of being labelled a loon, he was black. Melanism is not impossible, nor is it impossible he was an escaped "pet" big cat of other variety. But he was feline, huge, and certainly not tawny.

About the captivity thing; anyone know Safari Joe's? When they first opened, there were lots of escapes of black bears and such. Some people from our church returned home after grocery shopping one evening to find a trio of African Lions drinking from their pool. Didn't even see them till they were out of the car... I would flip. my. lid.

So, I imagine between decreased hunting/lots of small pets in backyards/captive pets who are set free.... well, sure they're everywhere again.

HI! Milam Co here.

__________________
I believe in God's willingness to heal.

Cyngbaeld's Keep Heritage Farm, breeding a variety of historical birds and LaMancha goats. (It is pronounced King Bold.)

The cougars killed in Kansas City and just outside Fulton MO (I live in Callaway County--Fulton is the county seat) were not escaped pets, neither was wearing a collar. I have a reliable source who told me that the KC cougar did have a tiny collar in its stomach when it was necropsied, a fact not released to the general public. Both were near populated areas, especially the KC cougar that was hit on Parvin Rd at I-35, very close to residential areas, Worlds and Oceans of Fun and the Missouri River bottoms--lots of potential food and water sources and good cover. The cougar killed just outside Fulton was mounted and is on display at the Runge Nature Center in Jefferson City MO.

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/...-make-mo-home/

jen
melanistic cougars are not black they are a dark red/brown color similar to a chocolate lab. there are no such thing as black mountain lions. if it was black it was someones pet leopard or black jag at some point.
ETA
feral cats can get big, as much as 40# in some places and given enough time the dominant colors settle out to black & grey tabby. and a 40# cat is HUGE if you're not used to looking at cats that big.

I saw a bob/domestic cross once. It was born on a poultry farm in MS. Mother was domestic. Thing was HUGE. Owner kept it on a chain because it was killing his poultry.

__________________
I believe in God's willingness to heal.

Cyngbaeld's Keep Heritage Farm, breeding a variety of historical birds and LaMancha goats. (It is pronounced King Bold.)