Watch: Wash. Police Drone Helps Officers Track Bobcat Inside Home
What to Know
- Kirkland police responding to a possible burglary discovered the suspected intruder was actually a bobcat that had entered a home, likely through an open window.
- Officers used a drone to track the animal inside the house, allowing them to safely monitor the situation and avoid a direct confrontation.
- The bobcat was contained until wildlife officials arrived, sedated and released nearby.
His nemesis of the day featured large paws on four long legs, tufted ears, a tail that appeared to be bobbed, and little inclination to listen to authority figures.
This Kirkland house, in other words, had fallen prey to a bobcat.
Now, if you're thinking about discounting the bobcat as a worthy adversary, just don't. Bobcats are capable swimmers and can sprint up to 30 mph. Known as skilled hunters, bobcats eat birds, squirrels and mice, according to an article in National Geographic. They've also been observed catching large salmon from rivers, stealing eggs from python nests and killing animals as large as a deer.
To borrow some sound advice from rapper Aesop Rock: Alex up the street called, said he saw a bobcat, keep the pets inside, notify your contacts."
These carnivores can grow to as big as 41 inches tall and weigh as much as 30 pounds. If that doesn't sound big, one look at a pictorial list of large bobcats, which includes The New Hampshire Snow Stalker and the Texas Plains Behemoth, might dampen your bravado.
"When the time comes, they use their long, powerful hind legs to pounce on the animal — leaping up to 12 feet — and kill it with a bite to the throat," according to Nat Geo.
Farman found the suspect at the top of a set of stairs inside the home. It is thought that the intruder clambered up a tree and entered the home through an open window, "possibly drawn inside by the resident’s cat," according to the Kirkland Police Department.
Farman and other officers "deployed an unmanned aircraft to monitor its movements inside the home," according to the police department. "This allowed officers to maintain a safe distance and guide the response without placing anyone at unnecessary risk."
Police later posted the drone footage on social media, showing the nabbed "cat burglar.
Officers corralled the bobcat into an isolated room until the state Department of Fish and Wildlife made it to the scene. The bobcat was sedated and later released by Forbes Creek, a natural habitat near where it had been found, according to police.
The house cat was discovered unharmed, and no injuries were reported by the officers, the homeowner or the bobcat, according to police.
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