HELOTES, Texas — The Bexar County Sheriff's Office was in Helotes on Tuesday afternoon, following up on the community awareness alert they released the night before warning neighbors of a reported large cat sighting.
The Facebook post detailed a resident's report seeing a "large, long-tailed, dark-colored cat" behind her home in the greenbelt area.
Spotting wildlife in one's backyard is normal in the Triana neighborhood, which has several greenbelts running through it.
"You see snakes? I've seen armadillos. You see large hawks, you see owls... again, it's their habitat," said Decature Towncel Jr., who lives in the neighborhood. "Texas is a very diverse place, especially with a very diverse animal community."
At the same time, some neighbors are on edge hearing the reports.
"When I heard about it, I got scared, too," said Autumn Gilbert, a resident. "I ran inside because it was dark. So I was nervous."
BCSO, due to three reported sightings from neighbors and the potential danger, released a community awareness alert.
On Tuesday, the agency followed up with more action. Deputies set traps to try and catch the wild cat. If the sheriff's office succeeds, a public information officer told KENS 5, they would follow the appropriate protocol for catch and release.
If anyone does possibly see the animal, they're asked to call BCSO at (210) 335-6000.
Towncel Jr. was relieved by the law enforcement presence.
"You know, there's a lot of people that walk in the neighborhood," he said. "It is a beautiful neighborhood, so as long as I see them walking and (updating us through) the different avenues of communication, (and) no one really has seen anything since last night, so I feel safe enough to walk in the day."
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), as of Tuesday morning there has been no confirmation of the reported "large cat" in Helotes.
"Reports of various wild cat species are frequently submitted with images or video but are most commonly determined to be domestic cats," said Lerrin Johnson, a wildlife public information officer for TPWD. "According to TPWD records there has never been a confirmed sighting of a mountain lion in Helotes."
If anyone has any additional evidence, they're asked to submit it to the local biologist for verification.
