East Tennessee State University is a quiet, small and beautiful campus nestled in the hills of Johnson City. It is home to a variety of small wildlife and over 12,000 students, but recent accusations suggest something more dangerous also calls this place home.Mountain lions.

Johnny Sasscer, a freshman at ETSU, said he witnessed these animals while driving by Davis Apartments on his way to class on March 25.

“There were two of them and they were tan with a hint of grey,” said Sasscer.

Sasscer was a little confused about why they were so close to the busy campus but was not really scared.

“They were just walking toward the train tracks on the other side of the fence minding their own business.”

The cats were not spooked by the traffic so Sasscer had a chance to get a good look at them before driving off.

“Head to butt was about 4 feet and with the tail it was about 6 feet.”

Sasscer was not the only witness to the cats. Danika Santee, a freshman at ETSU, also saw two cats in the woods near the Davis Apartments. The student’s descriptions were very similar to each other.

“I looked to my left toward the train tracks and there were two tan mountain lions,” said Santee.

Mountain lions being so close to campus seemed to concern Santee.

“It kind of scared me because mountain lions are dangerous animals and they were extremely close to where students walk,” said Santee.

Bill Smith, an agent of the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency at the Kyker Bottom Wildlife Refuge, thinks mountain lions do not exist in the wild in this area.

“Mountain lions were extirpated from the state of Tennessee in the 1930s. Their food source, which is deer, is back so they could technically survive but it’s very unlikely,” said Smith

Smith said the TWRA receives reports of people sighting mountain lions every year, but the chance they are actually seeing a mountain lion is very remote. Smith also made reference to the possibility of it being a pet.

“There is one record of a cat killed in the state, but it was declawed. What people could be seeing is a captive cat that was released,” said Smith

Smith said if the cat was once a pet that would explain why it was comfortable in such close proximity to people.

Crystal Heishman, an employee of the Department of Public Safety on the ETSU campus, said she was not even aware of sightings.

“The only large, wild animals reported on campus were bears,” said Heishman.

“I have heard reports of a house in this area that has large cats, but to my knowledge none have escaped.

“If you see a wild animal on campus, immediately call us so we can verify and call TWRA,” said Heishman

Mountain lion attacks are very rare, but they are still dangerous animals. If you encounter one make your self as big as you can, wave your arms and slowly step away. Also, contact professional help as soon as possible so they can assess the situation.

Author