Mountain lion seen for first time in Texas county, officials say. 'Use caution'

Mitchell Willetts, The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.) on Apr 20, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

A city worker recently spotted a mountain lion in a part of Texas where there’s never been a confirmed sighting, according to officials.

The employee, a member of the city’s trail crew, was at Purgatory Creek Natural Area on the morning of Thursday, April 17, when they saw a mountain lion climb down from a tree and sprint away, the City of San Marcos said in a news release.

The mountain lion sighting comes amid rising reports of dead deer in the area, the city said, adding that the two things “may be related.”

Officials have contacted the state Parks and Wildlife Department.

McClatchy News reached out to TPWD for comment on the matter but didn’t immediately hear back.

Purgatory Creek Natural Area is a 570-acre park with hiking and biking trails, but also sections of thick brush, trees and rocky bluffs, according to the city’s visitor bureau.

The worker saw the cougar “near Dante Trail in the area commonly referred to as Middle Purgatory,” the city said.

While city officials called the sighting “confirmed,” TPWD has the final word on the matter. It would be the first time a mountain lion was confirmed to be in Hays County, according to data from the department.

Cougars were once native to much of Texas, but were largely eradicated through hunting and human development — though they’ve held on in much of West Texas, and the Trans-Pecos in particular, where confirmed sightings are in the hundreds, data shows.

However, there have been numerous sightings of the rare animals in unexpected places recently, including the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, where one or more mountain lions were seen roaming the suburbs of Lake Dallas, Little Elm and Plano, McClatchy News reported.

“As always, please use caution when exploring our natural areas. These greenspaces are home to many types of wildlife,” San Marcos officials said. “If you encounter a mountain lion: do not approach it. Give it space and a way to escape — most will avoid confrontation.”

_____