While it appears that some residents have taken notice of bobcat sightings in town, with some posting photos and comments on social media, Animal Control Officer David Crockett said this is nothing new.
“Everybody has bobcats in this area except for Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket,” Crockett said. “They’ve been around Lynnfield for two to three years. People are just starting to see them because of the Ring doorbells and security cameras, but they’ve been here. People should have absolutely zero fears of encounters with them on a human level. Zero. They are more afraid of us. There is nothing to fear.”
Crockett said people should exercise due diligence and common sense when it comes to their small pets, but 99% of the time, bobcats will feed on rabbits, squirrels, and other small mammals, and animals like moles. Rarely will a bobcat ever go after a barking dog, even small ones, nor of any size, Crockett said.
“We still have the fact that we are loaded with coyotes, and we have had coyote attacks on dogs, several in fact over the years,” Crockett said. “I would say that you please use your due diligence. It’s not a good idea to leave small dogs unattended in your backyard. But bobcats, yes, they are here. The sightings are real; I’ve seen the photos for two years now, and there is no fear for humans. They are not dangerous to humans.”
Crockett said that seeing a bobcat is tantamount to “hitting the lottery. I’ve seen three in my lifetime, and I’m in the woods a lot, hunting, walking, hiking, and I’ve seen just three over the course of 10 years.”
Crockett said the sightings have been at random locations. They have a pretty good range. There are reports up on Lakeview Street near the ballpark at Suntaug Park. I’ve had them right down on Summer Street, so they’re here any place where rabbits and other food sources would be.
“They are extremely elusive. I think you as good a chance of seeing a bobcat as you do of hitting the daily number. It could happen, but good luck to it. It comes down to the same thing; water, food and shelter.”
“They’re here and we’re going to have more sightings. A fireman spotted one on Summer Street and there have been sightings all the way across town to North Hill near North Reading,” Crockett said.
Resident Steve Fantone hit the lottery when a his nighttime trail camera revealed a bobcat on the prowl in his backyard, He has a couple of videos of bobcats that his nighttime trail cameras have caught in the Reedy Meadow area off of Summer Street. The bobcat sighting last week in his back yard was caught with a camera at approximately 2 a.m.
“It was similar in size to a small or medium sized dog,” Fantone said. “Bobcats have always been here because it’s a habitat that has things for them to eat, like mice and birds and I have some video showing one stalking a rabbit.
Crockett said bobcats are fairly small ranging from 15-20 pounds on average and a large male bobcat might get up to 30 pounds. He said Fantone is so lucky to have caught that on camera as most people will go their entire lives without seeing one.
“Wildlife, even in places like Lynnfield is uncanny. People don’t understand, it’s the opportunity and the resources,” Crockett said. “Real wildlife is happening all around us. We’ve pushed them out of their environment. We have created the ultimate environment for a lot of animals because we’ve created a lot of resources. That’s telltale by everybody’s hedges being eaten, the corn in your garden. Your tomato plants are being eaten by chipmunks, who are preyed on by larger animals and so on and so on and so on.
Crockett noted there is an “enormously large deep population” currently in Lynnfield.
“I encounter them all the time when I go out at night. I see them on Summer Street. I’ll see them at a particular apple tree across the street from the fire station in September and October when the apples are really ripe. They will be eating them literally 75 feet from the station. They also are everywhere.
Fantone said he has seen or heard of many sightings in the Walnut/Summer Street/Reedy Meadow area. But he said “bobcats have long range so they wander all over.”
He said most of his wildlife sightings have been at night, but he’s also heard of sightings at dusk or early in the morning.
