While bobcats have always been a part of southern Alberta’s landscape, seeing them in town is becoming more and more common, according to a senior wildlife biologist in Medicine Hat.
A Medicine Hat resident posted on a Facebook group last week showing a bobcat laying down on their front porch.
Medicine Hat and Area Roast and Toast/MetaThe poster issued a warning for kids and pets in the area and Joel Nicholson from Alberta Environment and Protected Areas is doing the same.
Nicholson said when bobcats become habituated to humans, they become less fearful and are more likely to attack people and pets.
Habituation can happen when people feed them, interact with them or leave garbage out.
“People need to be a little more proactive and try to encourage the animals to move on and not provide those attractive spots,” Nicholson said.
“If there’s a bobcat on your deck, making some loud noise, chase it away, even spray it with the hose and hopefully it’ll move on and stay at least somewhat wild.”
Nicholson added that you should avoid letting your pets outside unattended, because they can become a target of bobcats.
For more information on bobcat safety, visit Alberta.ca/bobcats.
