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- A video of two bobcats hunting a squirrel in Salt Lake City went viral on Saturday.
- Utah wildlife officials expect more bobcat sightings in the weeks ahead during the breeding season.
- Residents are advised to maintain their distance, unless the bobcats act aggressively or harm pets.
SALT LAKE CITY — A video of two bobcats on the prowl in the Avenues was gaining attention online Saturday as wildlife officers said sightings were likely to be a little more common in the weeks ahead during bobcat breeding season.
The video, posted by Reddit user 'Shaneblaster,' appeared to show the two bobcats hunting a squirrel up a tree.
"This is pretty lucky to capture this," said commenter 'Skibiscuit.' "I have yet to personally see a bobcat or cougar in my 15 years here. … I know I've been near them a few times, but they are quite stealthy when they want to be."
While officers with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said the encounter was not reported to them, they acknowledged it was relatively rare to see a single bobcat, let alone capture video of two in broad daylight.
"Bobcats are pretty solitary and are mainly active at dawn and dusk," said DWR's Central Region Conservation Outreach Manager Michael Packer. "They're a bit elusive, so we don't see them nearly as often, but they're definitely there."
Packer said while bobcats are predators, they tend to flee from contact with humans rather than confront them.
"You are much bigger than any meal they are likely to pursue," he said during an interview with KSL. "They prey on things like rabbits, smaller rodents, smaller reptiles, small mammals."
He said on average, bobcat sightings are reported in Salt Lake County a half-dozen times per year.
What to do when spotting a bobcat
Packer said it was unnecessary to report the sightings unless the bobcats were killing pets, repeatedly killing animals on a property or acting aggressively toward people.
According to Packer, maintaining distance and appreciation from afar is the best alternative.
"Giving them their space to allow them to exist and us to exist mutually is always the preferred situation," Packer said.
Closer to the Ensign Peak trailhead Saturday afternoon, Salt Lake City resident Karl Wild said he had never seen a bobcat or mountain lion.
"We see a lot of deer, and we've seen a lot of (coyotes)," Wild said.
After viewing the Reddit video, he seemed struck by the wildlife encounter caught on video.
"I think that's great, I mean, yeah, get your camera out; if you see something, film it," he said. "I think they're probably watching us and, yeah, we've just never seen them."
