Ben Madilynn
A rare encounter between a bobcat and squirrel has been captured on camera.
Footage of the coming together was caught on a Ring security camera with the video subsequently shared with Newsweek. It was filmed outside a residential property in Fort Pierce, Florida, on August 4 and makes for astonishing viewing.
The sighting certainly came as a shock to the homeowner, Morris. He told Ring: “I happened to be at the kitchen table enjoying a cup of coffee when I saw through the window out of the corner of my eye some large animal running towards the palm tree. It turned out to be a bobcat chasing a squirrel.”
Ring
Morris said the location of his home means encounters with wild animals are relatively common.
“We live along the St. Lucie River where much of the surrounding land is protected wetlands so much of the area is natural, thick vegetation,” he said. “This provides a great habitat for many critters and yes, a few bobcats.”
Even so, he hadn’t seen a bobcat in the area around his house until this point, which made the sighting a bit more special.
“This was my first time seeing this, so I’m lucky that my Ring camera caught this rare sighting, so I could share it with my neighbors,” he said.
The 22-second video features a bobcat in hot pursuit of a squirrel. At one point, the squirrel appears to have outwitted his bobcat pursuer, clinging closely to one side of the tree with the predator locked in on the other, desperately searching for their prey.
There’s a brief stand-off before the squirrel makes a dash for it up the length of the tree, figuring the bobcat will be unable to pursue them. That gamble pays off at first, but it’s not for lack of trying on the part of the larger animal, with the bobcat seen clawing its way a little further up the tree in the hope of intercepting the escaping squirrel.
Incredibly, the bobcat reaches the area higher up in the tree where the squirrel has escaped to. Another flurry follows before the squirrel makes another escape down the tree, with the bobcat this time only giving pursuit in a half-hearted manner.
By the end, the bobcat appears to have admitted defeat, dropping back down from the tree into the driveway. While the bobcat’s next destination is not clear, Morris may want to take steps to ensure there are no repeat visits.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission acknowledges there are some benefits to bobcats being in the local area.
“Bobcats are beneficial because they control populations of rodents, rabbits and other small animals,” they said.
However, homeowners should be taking steps to ensure bobcat visits are kept at a minimum.
“It is best to prevent or solve problems with bobcats by securing attractants and deterring the animals from becoming comfortable around residences and domestic animals,” they said.
