WINDERMERE, Fla. — Residents in west Orange County are reporting a rise in bobcat sightings in their neighborhoods.
People have been posting about them on social media for months. On Thursday, someone found a bobcat kitten in the middle of John Young Parkway in Orlando.
One wildlife expert said there's massive growth on the westside of the county which may be contributing to the sightings.
TRENDING NOW:
- Man punches man's eye out of socket, destroys eyeball
- Fisherman almost loses arm to flesh-eating bacteria
- Boy killed in crash was with dad for 'Take Your Child to Work Day'
- CUTE: 2-week-old bobcat dropped off at Orlando Fire Department
Homes next to lakes and wooded areas are places where bobcats may have lived.
“It was a little before sunset and Jessie, our boxer, was barking like crazy,” said resident Ray Bennett. “I looked over the railing and there was a bobcat just lounging in the yard.”
Bennett and his wife Dianne believe the big cat may have been feasting on rabbits that had been in that part of the yard.
Other people in the area have reported seeing them close to roads and shopping centers.
Someone also turned in a bobcat kitten to an Orlando fire station after finding it near the 408.
“On the west side you have Windermere, Winter Garden area. We're starting to get a lot more animals coming in for rehabilitation purposes from that area,” said Debbie Helsel with Back to Nature wildlife refuge.
The wildlife refuge near Lake Nona has taken in the kitten and has two other permanent bobcats.
Helsel said bobcats will generally steer clear of people, but believes the development has squeezed their options for finding food and shelter.
“They're having to come more towards populated areas to find that,” Helsel said. “They're not intentionally coming up to have an interaction with people.”
Helsel expects, with continued growth, these kinds of encounters will continue.
“They're quite beautiful, but concerned because we have pets and we want to make sure that we don't get them in any danger,” Dianne Bennett said.
Bobcats eat small wild animals, like rabbits and rodents, but have also been known to go after chickens, or small pets.
Generally, wildlife officials say to just leave them alone or make noise to scare them away from homes.
But you can contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission if they became a nuisance at 352-732-1225.
DOWNLOAD: Free WFTV News & Weather Apps