A bobcat is making quite a name for itself in a northeast Dallas neighborhood. Neighbors see it nearly every day, and wildlife experts say the sightings are common across DFW.
Nicole Ortez, 17, shot video of the bobcat earlier this month.
"I know that me and my mom were pretty freaked out about it, seeing it, you know, but it was pretty fast," Ortez said.
The bobcat had a squirrel in its mouth.
"You could hear the squirrel barking as it was being hauled off into the storm drain," said Nicole's father, Michael Ortez.
He said he's spotted at least two bobcats on his block.
"There's a reddish, bigger one, and there's a tannish, skinny, colored one," he said.
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The sightings are now almost daily, but they're not unusual in the Metroplex. An expert at 911 Wildlife said bobcat and coyote populations are extremely high in the area.
For one thing, bobcats give birth to their kittens this time of year. Also, the mild winter produced more insects, rats and snakes, and bobcats follow food.
911 Wildlife says there's not much you can do about the bobcat population. Animal control will only come if wild animals are sick or injured, and shooting firearms is illegal within city limits.
Some measures you can including clapping, stomping or blowing a whistle to scare them away.
Michael Ortez said he grew up in Dallas and thinks this is pretty normal. He feels as much compassion for the animals as he does for the neighbors who are concerned.
"The moms that are walking away with the toy poodles and the Chihuahuas that feel like they can't walk down the sidewalk anymore," he said.
He isn't scared. Good thing, because the bobcats are here to stay.
"Animals are animals, and they're going to be where they are. I don't think it's that big of a deal,"said Nicole Ortez.
