Bobcat Rescued by Family, Police and Center

A wild Minnesota bobcat parked itself outside a family’s house on a cold night at about 8pm and wasn’t leaving. A mother of three was home alone and she looked out the window to see the wild cat not moving much and it seemed injured. Some time after the bobcat appeared her husband and children returned. The parents tried calling conservation officers to see if they could handle the situation, but none were available so they called the police. An officer came and assessed the situation, then decided to call a local wild animal center.

The wildlife center workers were happy to help and relocated the bobcat to their facility. It was determined the cat was probably suffering from a concussion and possibly a bruised spine, but with care it will probably recover. (The injuries were most likely due to a car collision.)

The family who first thought to report the bobcat to conservation officers live on 10 acres of land so they are accustomed to seeing wild animals. Also the police officer who was dispatched decided to call a wildlife center, rather than simply shooting the animal, as some police officers have done in similar situations. For example, a young deer that had done no harm to anyone and was hiding in someone’s backyard, was shot by police multiple times.

Also a mountain lion was shot after midnight in a residential neighborhood by police officers though there were no people around and it posed no immediate threat to anyone. If wildlife workers had been the first responders they might have been able to tranquilize and relocate it. The outcome of wild animal encounters can also depend upon who is called first to address the situation. In this case the police officer knew to who to contact, and did not resort to shooting the animal and so helped save its life.

Image Credit: Public Domain/ Wiki Commons

Read more: Do Good, Family, Nature & Wildlife, Wildlife, bobcat