Bobcat sightings on the rise

After a slight increase in reported bobcat sightings in the past few weeks, concerns have risen about safety and procedure in the event of an encounter.

Game Warden Dana Joyal, who took over jurisdiction of Shelburne in late June, said his office was unable to confirm the type of cat. No one has come forward with a photo, but from what people are describing, it could only be a bobcat, Joyal said.

Heightened bobcat presence is probably caused by an increase in grey squirrels and cottontail rabbits in the region, Joyal said. He maintained that bobcats are not a public safety risk and that he would only get involved if there were reports of exposure – physical contact between a bobcat and a human – which has never happened in Vermont or anywhere else to his knowledge.

Several witnesses have reported seeing cougars, not bobcats, but these reports are generally not taken seriously. Shelburne police officer James Mack said a witness who asserted he had spotted a cougar, called in disbelief of what he had seen. Mack told the man that bobcats can get quite large and can also have longer tails typical of cougars. He remained convinced of his original assessment.

Sue Morse, the founder and science director of Vermont-based wildlife conservation group Keeping Track, said cougars from the Northern Midwest and Canada are likely to return to Vermont in breeding populations within 30 years.

“It’s a known fact that dispersing tom cougars will go hundreds, if not thousands of miles as they search for a habitat in which they can settle down in the company of females and call home,” she told the Associated Press in January.

Vermont Fish and Wildlife has been receiving reports of cougars for several years and encourages people to report what they see. The organization acknowledges that individual male cougars have returned to the state, but it still maintains that a new breeding population is unlikely.

Regardless of the species, Joyal and Mack insisted there is no public safety concern and reiterated the same procedure. Keep a wide berth, they said, and these animals will do the same.