Rare Bobcat Sighting Has Been Reported In A Westchester Village

CROTON-ON-HUDSON, NY — A normally elusive wild neighbor has created some excitement after beeing spotted in a Hudson Valley River Town.

The Village of Croton-On-Hudson has received a report of a recent bobcat sighting.

"While bobcats are generally shy and avoid human contact, it’s important to be aware of their presence and know how to coexist safely with these native wildlife species," village officials said of the rare sighting.

Your chances of seeing a bobcat in the New York wilderness are pretty slim and that's just the way our bobcat neighbors like it.

Bobcats are native to our area, but with the exception of rare cases, experts say the animals are unlikely to be spotted by humans because of their notoriously reclusive nature. The cats almost never pose any danger to humans.

The free-roaming felines can be found throughout the continental U.S. and most of North America. Most states have seen a rise in the bobcat population, according to the Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management.

Bobcats in our area are roughly twice the size of a domestic cat, and are usually smaller than the Canadian lynx, according to the NYSDEC. Their reddish coats are dense, short and soft in the summer, and become longer and grayer in the winter. Long hairs sprout out of their cheeks and black tufts stick out at the tops of their ears.

Male bobcats are larger than females, averaging 21 and 14 pounds, respectively, though they can be over 30 pounds. Males are also slightly longer, stretching 34 inches, compared to 30 inches for females.

In New York, bobcats are known to eat white-tailed deer, rabbit and hare.

"They eat deer more often during the winter than other times of the year and will store or cache carcasses for future use," state officials told Patch following a bobcat sighting in White Plains in Jan. 2020. "Deer can be a valuable prey item in areas of deep snow because one carcass can last for several weeks."

Bobcats are known to shy away from humans. Typically, bobcats hunt rodents and rabbits for food and stay away from suburban neighborhoods, Ted Stankowich, a behavioral ecologist at California State University, Long Beach told The New York Times in April of 2021 following a violent bobcat attack caught on camera.

In the unlikely event a hiker or homeowner does encounter a bobcat in suburbia, the Department of Fish and Wildlife experts have recommendations on how to keep both yourself and the animals safe:

• Try to scare the animal away by shouting and waving your arms in the air to appear larger.
• If handy, use a hose to shoot water at a bobcat.
• Throw rocks at the animal.

SEE ALSO:

• Rye Brook Police Report Sightings Of 'Multiple' Bobcats In Area | Rye, NY Patch
• Rare Bobcat Sighting At Popular Park In Westchester County
• Bobcat Population Is On The Rise In The United States
• Watch: Possible Bobcat Spotted On White Plains Driveway
• Possible Bobcat Sighting In Stamford

For non-emergencies or general wildlife concerns, residents are urged to contact the NYS DEC Region 3 office at 845-256-3098. In the rare event of an emergency involving a bobcat in the village, contact the Croton-on-Hudson Police Department at 914-271-5177.