Have you seen recent social media posts about bobcat sightings in Bloomington?
Lots of people have. A state Department of Natural Resources official says seeing the pointy-eared cats around town is perfectly normal.
DNR Biologist Geriann Albers says southern Indiana is home to quite a lot of bobcats, and seeing them out and about isn’t unusual.
“They can be seen any time of day, really almost any time of year, if one’s out hunting for food or moving around, moving to a new resting spot, things like that," she says.
Albers says bobcats are best just left alone.
"They’re a normal part of Indiana’s wildlife community, so it’s not really any different than seeing, you know, a skunk, or an opossum, or a squirrel or a rabbit," she says. "So just make sure you give them distance and don’t corner them or anything like that."
Albers says they pose no danger to humans, but she recommends keeping cats indoors and dogs on a leash when outside to avoid a confrontation with a bobcat.
According to the DNR’s website, bobcats hunt small mammals like rabbits and mice and are generally solitary. Their mating season occurs in early spring – usually February or March.
