Bobcat missing from National Zoo enclosure

WTOP News [Washington DC] ^ | January 30, 2017 1:43 pm | Sarah Beth Hensley | @SarahBethHens

[COBOL2Java]

WASHINGTON — A National Zoo bobcat has escaped from her enclosure, the zoo announced Monday.

A 25-pound female bobcat named Ollie went missing Monday morning. The bobcat was last counted by zoo keepers at 7:30 a.m. Monday, but around 10:40 a.m., Ollie didn’t respond for the morning feeding.

[Bigg Red]

Article says they are not aggressive toward humans. Also, she’s only 20 pounds.

[Vendome]

Catastrophe...

[az_gila]

This cub liked sleeping by our pool equipment like you mention...:^)

[Bigg Red]

I did, too, when I saw the headline.

[az_gila]

Two of them...

[hoosiermama]

We are more apt to call the animal a wildcat. As in Kentucky Wildcats.
I know technically they are BobCats. But since the machines are used so often on the farms. That’s my first thought.

[Dagnabitt]

Zookeepers found a tunnel behind a pinup poster.

[no-s]

Probably living with some middle aged leftist woman

I was driving along a road near Pescadero and saw a bobcat on the edge of a plowed field, about 150 yards away. I stopped, rolled the window down and yelled "here kitty kitty," finishing up with a loud purr noise. it started trotting in my direction...it was actually a juvenile mountain lion...I rolled up the window and left quickly. I wondered if some hippie chick was feeding the "purr thing" or if it just knew to associate crunchy house cats with "here kitty kitty"...

[PLMerite]

I’m only about ten miles as the bobcat flies from the zoo. This could be interesting.

[CommerceComet]

Article says they are not aggressive toward humans. Also, she’s only 20 pounds.

True but remember that it is easier to catch a bobcat than it is to let go of it. Bobcats don't look for trouble from humans but if a human wants trouble, ignores the warnings, and pushes the issue, the bobcat will willingly oblige.

[oldm60grunt]

“You want me to come help you hold it?”

“No, I want you to come help me turn it loose!”

lol

[PLMerite]

"Zookeepers found a tunnel behind a pinup poster."

This one?

[sphinx]

There are plenty of coyote in Rock Creek

I'd never heard that before. The creek would provide an escape route in either direction, down to the river or upstream to semi-open country outside the beltway. I didn't know there was a local population in Rock Creek Park itself.

With the Potomac, Rock Creek, the Anacostia, and the Anacostia tributaries, DC has some pretty good wildlife corridors. We do have some interesting critters wandering around from time to time.

[Hot Tabasco]

One left tracks on our back decks a couple of weeks ago.

I've never seen a real life bobcat but on one of my pheasant hunting trips to N.W. Kansas when it snowed every day, I did follow one's tracks when it actually walked along a railroad track rail for about a quarter mile....that's pretty good balance...

[Hot Tabasco]

I’m only about ten miles as the bobcat flies from the zoo.

As long as it's resident bobcat, it won't have any problem at the airport.......

[blueunicorn6]

Born free!

“Joy and I had to teach her how to survive.
How to catch prey like drug dealers and gang members.”

[Grampa Dave]

They come and go out here.

They keep the wild turkey and jack rabbit population down and feral cats.

When we were in Virginia DC area, there were a lot of them in what we call the edges. The areas between housing and open to forest areas.

[PLMerite]

[PA Engineer]

Zookeepers found a tunnel behind a pinup poster.

Hmmm. I wonder if the bobcat was watching too many later night movies.

[jjsheridan5]

Officially, they don't have a permanent population (although there are a decent number of official sightings, it is a bit like cougars east of the Mississippi -- everyone knows it, but nobody officially admits it). But get someone who works there talking over beer, and the truth comes out. Apparently, they see tracks more than actual coyote, because they are quite shy and are nocturnal (coyote are amazing in their capacity for adaptation), at least in the park itself.