A picture of three bobcats sleeping on someone's front porch has gone viral online and, of course, it's happening in Arizona.
Mesa resident Kate Smith posted the picture on her Twitter account Friday and it's gained thousands of views since. Smith said the picture doesn't tell the entire story.
"These guys have been here a month," Smith said during a phone call. "I've been told that as soon as the cubs are old enough to hunt on their own, they should be moving on, but they've been here a while."
Smith called the Arizona Game and Fish Department asking them to help move the animals, but they told her that bobcat relocation often results in the animals' death.
"The answer they gave me was that if you take them out of their territory, they typically don't survive, so I said 'oh, forget it," Smith said. "They're territorial, so if you plop them down in an area they're unfamiliar with, they usually won't make it."
Smith has lived in her house west of Usery Mountain Regional Park for the past 24 years, and had only one other bobcat encounter around three years ago. That encounter only lasted a day or two because that bobcat was injured and required medical help.
Photos Credit: Kate Smith
Bobcats rarely attack humans unless they have rabies or are extremely aggressive, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department's website. But, Smith has still made sure to divert as much foot traffic away from her front door due to the bobcat family.
"I've got a sign out in the driveway for delivery people telling them not to come into our courtyard," Smith said. "All neighbors and family know not to come to the front door. Our dog is grounded at this point."
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Mesa resident Kate Smith posted the picture on her Twitter account Friday and it's gained thousands of views since. Smith said the picture doesn't tell the entire story.
"These guys have been here a month," Smith said during a phone call. "I've been told that as soon as the cubs are old enough to hunt on their own, they should be moving on, but they've been here a while."
Smith called the Arizona Game and Fish Department asking them to help move the animals, but they told her that bobcat relocation often results in the animals' death.
"The answer they gave me was that if you take them out of their territory, they typically don't survive, so I said 'oh, forget it," Smith said. "They're territorial, so if you plop them down in an area they're unfamiliar with, they usually won't make it."
Smith has lived in her house west of Usery Mountain Regional Park for the past 24 years, and had only one other bobcat encounter around three years ago. That encounter only lasted a day or two because that bobcat was injured and required medical help.
Bobcats rarely attack humans unless they have rabies or are extremely aggressive, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department's website. But, Smith has still made sure to divert as much foot traffic away from her front door due to the bobcat family.
"I've got a sign out in the driveway for delivery people telling them not to come into our courtyard," Smith said. "All neighbors and family know not to come to the front door. Our dog is grounded at this point."
Source
So this is my front porch right now. 😳😳😳 #Friday #bobcats #arizona pic.twitter.com/lQZH6yYjGx
— Kate Smith (@KateSmithAZ) June 26, 2021
This is so cool.Nature has a way of connecting with us all in some form each and every day if we let it. These cats feel safe and comfortable with your home and feel no threat.Which yes is very cool but understandable that they might want to stay like some recitatives. I am certain they will move on when the time is right. Just enjoy their company for now ,it is a rarity that you can call all your own.
Absolutely precious claiming some space my adorable babies
This is amazing! Thank you for being so kind and considerate
Possible the same one from 3yrs ago
I hope she's not feeding them. We had moose in our back yard and we stopped the world for them....We always respected that they were wild and just admired them!!