A Smyrna man is alerting his neighbors after believing he captured a cougar on his home security camera, despite Tennessee authorities stating that such sightings are exceedingly rare.

Bruce Fahnestock was woken up by his camera’s motion sensor at around 4:15 AM on Sunday. Upon checking, he saw what he believed to be a cougar. Fahnestock, comparing the animal's size to his six-foot hot tub, estimated it to be at least four to four and a half feet long, excluding the tail. He also found droppings that supported his belief.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) considers confirmed cougar sightings very rare, with the last one nearly eight years ago. They believe shadows may have made the animal appear larger in Fahnestock's footage and were not convinced it was a cougar. Since 2015, TWRA has only confirmed 10 cougar sightings, none east of Humphreys County. However, they acknowledge that sightings, though rare, are possible.

Fahnestock is concerned for his neighbors, especially those with pets, small children, and farm animals, urging them to be cautious. He emphasized the importance of reporting such incidents to prevent potential harm and community distress.

The TWRA has a detailed process for verifying cougar sightings and asked residents to report any additional sightings. They reassured that there is no immediate cause for alarm from Fahnestock's video.

The Nashville Zoo added that while cougars can climb fences, walking along the top is more typical behavior for domestic cats, not cougars.

While official reports of big cat sightings in Tennessee are scarce, locals of Tennessee would probably agree that these “cryptid” sightings occur more frequently than the state will acknowledge.

Check out the original article here from Newsbreak - and don’t miss the firsthand big cat encounters filling up the comment section!