Candy Evans posted a picture on her real estate blog that’s causing a bit of concern in one Preston Hollow neighborhood. The photo features an urban bobcat with an animal in its mouth.
“The other day my neighbor texted me a photo of a bobcat, we know because of the tail, carrying something in its mouth that they thought was a rabbit, but husband said rabbits don’t have tails, and that had a tail – maybe it was a squirrel, maybe it was a cat,” Evans said. “We’ve had two or three cats go missing in the neighborhood and a dear friend of mind lost her 25 pound dog, and we don’t know what got it, but she found the body dead the next morning.”
Evans has spotted coyotes in the neighborhood before, but says the bobcat has some neighbors worried about their small pets. Evans now worries about her daughter’s small dogs in the yard alone at night, and has started accompanying them outside. She says neighbors are also making other changes.
“None of us are throwing food out,” Evans said. “Don’t throw food out, keep everything covered.”
NBC 5 showed the photo to wildlife expert and president of Wildlife 911, Bonnie Bradshaw. Bradshaw says that’s an urban bobcat with a rabbit or, even more likely, a squirrel in its mouth.
“Coyotes and bobcats are thriving in every neighborhood throughout Dallas,” Bradshaw said. “They’re thriving in neighborhoods in every major city in the U.S., it’s not just this neighborhood, it’s not just Dallas.”
Most urban bobcats weigh no more than 25 pounds and hunt rabbit, rats and squirrels, according to Bradshaw. They live in urban environments rather the rural ones because cities tend to have a good food supply.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
“The main reason we see so many coyotes and bobcats in broad daylight in the city is because they are very intelligent animals and they’ve learned in the city there are no consequences,” Bradshaw said, “in a rural area, if a bobcat or coyote shows itself around people - it gets shot, it gets eliminated from the gene pool - but coyotes and bobcats in the city have learned that people are no threat. They show themselves in the middle of the day and all that happens is they get their picture taken.”
Bradshaw says they are not aggressive, don’t pose a danger and are generally unlikely to prey on domestic cats or dogs.
“They are of single purpose, they are looking for food, and the food they are looking for is rats and squirrels and rabbits,” Bradshaw said.
She says if you don’t want a bobcat or coyote in your neighborhood – use aversive training.
“Simply shout at it, clap your hands, throw something at it, teach that animal to stay away,” Bradshaw said.
She also says bird feeders can attract the animals because they attract squirrels and rats, and she suggests keeping pet food out of the yard.
