Have You Seen Any Bobcats in Bethel?

By Wendy Ann Mitchell (Patch Staff)

A bobcat was spotted in Newtown Saturday morning in the front yard of a family on Hanover Road at about 7:30 a.m.

“My kids had a front row view to nature as it chased, and caught, a squirrel,” Cheri Bisson said.

Often mistaken for mountain lions, bobcats are smaller and have much shorter tails that are about 6 inches long. The body of a female bobcat is about 38-32 inches long and males are 32-37 inches long. According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), bobcats are most active just after dusk and before dawn. They prey on medium-sized animals such as rabbits, livestock, fowl and domestic cats.

The DEEP states bobcats rarely cause conflicts with humans. “Bobcat attacks on people are virtually unknown,” DEEP said on their website, however there were two attacks on humans in Connecticut recently.

This past Labor Day weekend, a bobcat attacked a woman in Bozrah and later tested positive for rabies. The DEEP said there was a similar attack on a family in Lebanon, however they were able to fight off the bobcat. The bobcat was later euthanized.

Have you seen a bobcat in your area? Tell us in the comments.

Photo: Cheri Bisson

Have a news tip? Email wendy.mitchell@ patch.com. You can also post your own news, events and announcements on Patch by following these directions. Curious about how our new commenting platform, Disqus, works? Learn more about ithere and start interacting with your neighbors on Patch.