Ringtail Causes Major Power Outage for 3,800 in Central Texas

3800 residents in the Hill Country were without power in the Kerville area on Wednesday morning. What was the cause? A ringtail cat. According to a social media post. The outage was first reported to the Kerville Public Utility Board(KPUB) at 12:48 a.m., affecting customers in the Kerrville area. One resident reported hearing a loud explosion-like sound overnight.

;

When utility crews arrived at the scene  they discovered and identified the cause of the outage as 'animal interference.' They confirmed in a social media  comment that the animal was a 'ringtail.'  The animal made contact with equipment around 12:29 a.m., cutting power to approximately 15.84% of KPUB’s customer base, as reported by the Kerr County Lead. 

@animalexpertsaz Let's learn more about Ringtails! Any questions? Leave them below!😁 #AnimalExperts #AnimalLovers #AnimalRescueStory #Ringtail #TikTokAnimals #WildlifeRescue #TikTokWildlife #tucsonarizona ♬ original sound - Animal Experts

What is a ringtail?

A ringtail is a cat-sized carnivore that looks like a small fox that also has a long racoon type tail. It also has rotating black and white rings.

@sauti_science Ring-tailed Cat #greenscreen #animals #biology #science #stem #ringtailedcat #raccoon #cute ♬ J.S.Bach, Air from Suite No.3 - AllMusicGallery

A squirrel knows out power.

@dailyhivetoronto #toronto #torontotiktok #tiktoktoronto #yyz #ontario #the6ix ♬ News serious information news program - gooooodee_jay

Snakes can also create problems on power lines.

@goodfootage98 #tiktok #viral #trending #fyp #usa #anime ♬ original sound - Good Footage 😍

Get our free mobile app

As spring returns, so the the mosquitos with the rains. Check out a few tips that will help with mosquitos.