OMG — Look What Was Spotted on My Friend’s Property in Pleasant Valley

Bobcats have been spotted everywhere, but this one really is close to home for my friend who lives in Pleasant Valley, New York near Peach Hill Park. They have a lot of property so they have outdoor cameras set up to prevent hunters from trespassing on their property, and today they caught this bobcat and its prey on the camera. Seeing this, my worry is for people with small pets like teacup or mini sized dogs that are regularly let outside freely.

According to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation:

White-tailed deer, rabbit, and hare are the most common items in the diet of bobcat in New York. They eat deer more often during the winter than other times of the year and will store or cache carcasses for future use. Deer can be a valuable prey item in areas of deep snow because one carcass can last for several weeks. Opportunistic prey items include birds, squirrels, meadow voles, and road kill.

Sciencing.com says if not provoked there is no danger bobcats pose to humans. They generally avoid humans, but it's a completely different story if you encounter a rabid bobcat in whch case contact the DEC directly.