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Residents on edge after possible mountain lion sighting

06:42 PM CDT on Monday, May 5, 2008

By MELISSA MCGUIRE
KVUE News

Video
KVUE's Melissa McGuire reports
05/05/2008
Local/State Videos
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Some Williamson County residents are on edge after a possible mountain lion sighting in a heavily populated area over the weekend near Great Oaks and Racine Drive in the Brushy Creek Subdivision.

Someone caught a glimpse of the animal and even captured a photo.

A Sunday morning stroll for that man took a scary turn when he came face to face with what he says was a mountain lion.

“There's absolutely no question in my mind what it was. I made eye contact with it at a distance of about 75 feet,” said Costa Galazios.

Courtesy

Costa Galazios believes he captured a mountain lion on camera.

KVUE News spoke with Galazios by phone from Houston Monday. He was in Williamson County Sunday visiting his parents.

Galazios compared the cat’s size to that of his 85 pound Labrador. He snapped a photo as the cat was walking away. The photo shows part of its tail -- which is dark-colored and curls upward.

The animals live throughout Texas but are rarely seen

“It's an 80 acre greenbelt,” said John Kendall, a resident, whose home backs up to the area where the mystery cat was spotted. “It's kind of, as a father, it's kind of scary. A lot of kids walk to and from the Great Oaks School here."

“I've been talking to neighbors about what we should do,” said Patty Junkins, whose home also backs up to the greenbelt.

Junkins' three children usually walk through the greenbelt to and from school - but not anymore.

“This morning my husband drove the kids to school,” she said.

Wildlife experts say any habitat where there are white-tailed deer could have mountain lions because that's their primary prey.

“We get a lot of wildlife. We have deer that come up every day,” said Kendall.

In fact, during the KVUE interview, a white-tailed deer came right up to Kendall’s fence.

“It's common sense for people that live in that area to use the hike and bike trails over there with caution,” said Detective John Foster, Williamson County Sheriff’s Department.

In September 2006 wildlife officials were looking for a possible mountain lion in Jonestown. More than 20 cats and dogs had disappeared. Also, in December 2006, there was a possible mountain lion sighting at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in South Austin.

Neither case was ever confirmed.

This most recent sighting also has not been confirmed.

Wildlife experts are not setting up traps along the Williamson County trail, but they urge residents to keep their eyes open.