BOULDER — A lone bobcat was captured on camera Thursday by a Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks staffer along a trail east of Boulder.
Department outreach coordinator Steve Mertz said that in his 20 years here, he has seen only three — and he was not lucky enough to see this one for himself. Mertz said a colleague spotted the cat before it climbed the tree in which it was photographed, resting.
Bobcats, which are predators with a large range, will dine on rodents, rabbits and prairie dogs. They can be confused with lynx, Mertz said, but lynx favor higher elevations and have ear-tufts.
Mertz declined to disclose its location.
“You know how it is: If people hear there is a bear or a lion out there, then you get a crowd. I’m sure he’s not around anymore. They’ve got to eat, so we want to let them get back to their business, too,” Mertz said. “We give them room to go out and hunt and play.”
