Bobcat plays with its live food ‘just like a house cat’ in Rhode Island video
A bobcat was recorded playing with its food in the woods of southern Rhode Island, and the clowning resembles the way house cats treat their toys.
The video was recorded Dec. 17 by wildlife advocate Elise Torello and shared on YouTube as well as a Facebook page devoted to trail camera photos and videos.
It isn’t clear what rodent is involved, but the unlucky animal squawks angrily as the bobcat holds it between its teeth, bats it around, and tosses it in the air like a ball.
Once the creature hits the ground, the bobcat starts the routine over again. The game lasts just over a minute.
Torello suspects it was a flying squirrel and she believes it may have gotten away. When the bobcat walks off at the end of the video, there is nothing in its mouth.
“This is all part of nature and predators need to eat, too,” she told McClatchy News.
“Why the cat let the squirrel get away is a mystery to me. My reaction to the capture was that it was amazing. I feel so incredibly fortunate that it happened right in front of my camera, and I was pretty much giddy over it!”
Bobcats are a species of wild feline that grow to about 30 pounds in Rhode Island and “rarely pose a danger to humans or to pets,” the state reports.
Torello, a geographic information systems consultant, says the video was recorded on one of five cameras she has set up along trails. The cameras have also recorded coyotes, otters and foxes.
“I do have a degree in wildlife biology, but I’m just an enthusiastic hobbyist. I love seeing what’s out there — and there’s a lot out there!” she says.
The Trail Camera Photos and Videos Facebook group has more than 10,000 members, and some have noted she captured something in the wild that is rarely seen by humans.
“Amazing footage and sound,” Janet Pesaturo wrote. “Cat was flipping it around just like a house cat, then seemingly lets it go, probably seriously injured, also like a house cat. ... Fascinating to see it in a wild feline.”
“Wondering how hungry the bobcat actually was — sure seemed to be playing with his food,” Elizabeth Herron posted.
“I was cringing as I listened. Fascinating nonetheless,” Anne Marie Meegan said.
This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Bobcat plays with its live food ‘just like a house cat’ in Rhode Island video."