Most of the bobcats in the state of Iowa could be considered secretive, but an Iowa woman got a big surprise Sunday while walking her dog on a bike trail. A bobcat crawled out of the tall grass beside her and walked up the path. He grabbed the dog from her and started to back away. After taking a few steps back, she recorded a video. She was still close enough to the bobcat that you can hear her growl.
The woman who posted the video says she was walking her small dog Ruby at the time.
While Rachel Port was convinced that the bobcat was interested in her dog for food, that’s probably not the case. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says that a bobcat’s diet consists almost entirely of squirrels, mice, rabbits, and voles.
While she probably isn’t a threat to Port or her dog, you can certainly understand her surprise, especially considering she was on a trail across the street from the Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines. You can watch the video below.
Bobcats were listed as an endangered species in Iowa in 1977. They were moved to the threatened and then protected species list in the early 2000s. There is now a bobcat hunting season in Iowa. on November 5 and continues through January 31, 2023. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says, “Hunters and trappers must have a fur harvesting license and pay the habitat fee to capture bobcats, if they are normally found.” requires having them to catch them. A regular hunting license will not be adequate.”
LOOK: Stunning photos of animals from around the world
From grazing Tibetan antelope to migrating monarch butterflies, these 50 photographs of wildlife from around the world capture the amazing grace of the animal kingdom. The next gallery spans sequentially from air to land to water, focusing on birds, land mammals, aquatic life, and insects as they work in pairs or groups, or sometimes alone.