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Rockwall Wildlife

Rockwall Wildlife - New image from The Shores
March 24, 2011
Red Fox:

June 2010 - It seems every summer brings a new batch of wild animal sightings around the Rockwall area. Newcomers especially are surprised to learn that our humanoid population shares its habitat with the likes of raccoons, skunks, coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, and, yes, even alligators. Big ones.

Coyotes represent the most commonly spotted critters in the neighborhoods. Most active from dusk to dawn, their howls are often heard emanating from parks and golf courses at night as they feed on rodents and wild rabbits. When that food source runs low, they actually venture into neighborhoods for a chance at a small dog or cat. A common place to see coyotes is the Rockwall Airport during the early morning hours. The area appears to be home to numerous coyotes. In March, five coyotes were trapped along a Rowlett nature trail after reports of missing pets and daytime sightings led city officials concerned about possible rabies infections to take action.

Not as common in the area as coyotes, bobcats are sometimes observed in vacant fields and wooded areas near neighborhoods, particularly those outside the city limits. Unlike coyotes, bobcats are generally solitary animals with a taste for small mammals such as rabbits and small rodents. But like the coyote, they can become emboldened by scarcity to invade backyards in search of small pets. Although they rarely exceed 30 pounds in weight, adult bobcats have been known to bring down small deer, and a hostile encounter with a human, though unlikely, would not be a trivial affair.

Even more rarely seen in developed areas is the mountain lion, or North American cougar. Weighing in at 100 to 200 pounds, the cougar is easily distinguishable from the bobcat, both by way of size and by the fact that its tail can be as long as three feet, unlike the bobbed tail of the bobcat. Like the bobcat, mountain lions (also known as cougars) tend to hunt alone and will avoid human contact if given the choice. Two years ago, a mountain lion was spotted in the Lakeshore neighborhood just south of the bridge at Highway 66, trying to make off with the family Boston Terrier in its mouth. The owner startled it enough to drop the dog, but the big cat jumped a six-foot fence and ran away, leaving the dog alive but badly injured.

We recently made a follow up call to the owners of "Molly Mae," the victim in the mountain lion attack. It has been 18 months since the Boston Terrier was nearly carried away by the feline predator. Ron Gilleland is happy to report that Molly is doing fine. The 16 pound Boston Terrier has a few scar tissue knots on her neck from the puncture wounds, and Ron reports that she is skittish of noises when in the yard at night. Ron got a good look at the cat in his yard and is most certain it was a mountain lion. He said that before the attack there had been reports in the McClendon-Chisholm area of a pair of declawed mountain lions. No one knows where they went, but because Ron's dog is still alive he believes the lion involved in this attack was one of the declawed cats. The incident in his yard lasted approximately three minutes: Molly's head and neck in the mouth of the lion, the barbecue grill being toppled over during the scuffle, and the cat finally dropping the dog in order to escape over a 6 foot fence.

Molly Mae today, posing in her backyard

No local sightings of the mountain lion were reported after the incident, but 4 months later a mountain lion was seen in Wylie. Molly's family is left to wonder if the cat (or cats) migrated north, perhaps traveling through The Shores and along Lake Ray Hubbard to the Wylie area. Today, coyotes are more common in the Lakeshore neighborhood. Ron's neighbors recently reported being startled by a pair of coyotes darting between their houses in broad daylight.

Of all the exotic wildlife spotted around the area, none creates more buzz than a nice big alligator. We live at the western edge of the range of the American Alligator, and the shallow marshes at the north end of Lake Ray Hubbard are a perfect habitat. On occasion, heavy rains may force them southward into more populated areas. Last May, a 12 footer took up residence for a few weeks at the 12th tee of the Shores Country Club. Despite some ill-advised harassment by area teens, "Smiley", as he came to be known, stayed well-behaved and eventually departed, presumably back to the more civilized environs of the northern marshes. (See Lake Ray Hubbard Alligator story).

At the risk of restating the obvious, anyone encountering a wild animal should stay clear. Given the chance, most will avoid humans, but if cornered can and will attack. If it appears that such an encounter represents an ongoing danger to the public, the best point of contact is the Texas Department of Wildlife at 972-226-9966. For smaller animals, or stray domestics, your local animal control department is the best call. Use common sense and remember these wild ones are just as much at home as we are. We aren't as far removed from wilderness as we may think.

Bob Lewis
Contributing Writer
Planet Rockwall