Catching the Bellevue Bobcat...an officer?s tale
Catching the Bellevue Bobcat...an officer?s tale
Posted 2 years ago
Submitted By Andrew Gustavson
Fish & Wildlife Officer
The Blairmore Fish and Wildlife office received the first complaint on Jan. 31, of a bobcat in Frank.
A local resident let his cat out his back door to enjoy a break in the recent cold weather. Moments later he heard a commotion on his deck and realized that his cat was in a fight for its life. The owner was able to chase away a bobcat perched atop his pet. Unfortunately he was too late and his pet later died. Upon further investigation he found a stray cat he had been feeding, also dead under the deck.
The owner called the Fish and Wildlife office for assistance. A live trap was set under the deck in the hopes the cat would come back the very next day.
On the evening of Feb. 1, a resident of Bellevue called the Fish and Wildlife to report a bobcat that had attacked their favourite cat.
Again the owners let the cat outside and soon heard the blood curdling screams of a fight in progress. The owner went outside to see a bobcat on top of his cat. He was able to pry the wild cat from his pet, saving its life. In process of breaking up the fight, the owner received scratches from both the animals.
On the morning of Feb. 2, the same Bellevue resident called a second time to say that the bobcat was sleeping under their deck.
Fish and Wildlife Officers Andrew Gustavson and John Clarke along with his two Karelian Bear (Bobcat) Dogs, Kuma and Koda arrived on the scene.
The bobcat was found huddled under the deck. A failed attempt was made to chase the cat into a cage trap. With some gentle encouragement the cat rocketed out from under the deck and into the waiting trap. Using her amazing dexterity and strength the animal was able to squeeze out of the trap before the door was secured. The chase was on!
The cat was pursued across the road and through several yards before briefly ?treeing? atop a dog house. Again the cat was able to evade it captors and slip away.
After a couple more trips around the house of a very surprised elderly resident, the bobcat was cornered by the officers and the dogs. The fiasco played out on the front step in view of the now amused senior citizen and the stalled traffic. The dogs distracted the cat long enough for Officer Gustavson to get a snare pole onto the animal. A struggle ensued that could only be described as trying to hang onto a 25-pound ball of hissing, growling, spitting claws and teeth.
The officer eventually won the scrap and stuffed the cat into a cage. The chase ended along 27 Avenue, near 214 Street.
The bobcat was later released out of town where it hopefully will return to its traditional prey. It is suspected that the recent heavy snows and cold forced the cat into town to find alternative foods out of desperation.
Fish and Wildlife would like to remind residents to keep their cats indoors if at all possible. There are many species of wildlife that frequent the Pass that will opportunistically prey on house cats. The removal of this one bobcat does not guarantee their safety.
The owner of the pet is ultimately responsible for its safety and care. Any residents that have recently lost a cat from the Frank-Bellevue area may now know the unfortunate fate of their pets.
