SALEM, N.H. — One New Hampshire town is setting the record straight on a large animal seen roaming the streets on Monday.
Salem Animal Control Officer Bjarna O’Brien says she’s received several calls about a “mountain lion” spotted in residential areas.
Only the animal, she says, is not a mountain lion, but a very large bobcat.
“Fun fact: we do NOT have Mountain Lions in Salem, or NH, or in NE really,” Salem Police wrote in a social media post. But the town does have a lot of bobcats, and officials provided some knowledge about North America’s most common native cats:
- If seen: Residents are urged to bring their cats and small dogs inside, but otherwise there is no need to be concerned.
- They won’t hurt you: Bobcats are much more afraid of us than we are of them, but they can lose their natural fear of people when they find free sources of human-associated food, like pet food left on porches.
- You can make them leave: The best way to prevent human/bobcat conflict is by using negative conditioning or “hazing.” To do this, residents should be big and scary by yelling loudly and raising their arms over their heads. Wildlife officials say that hazing works best if you keep the negative reinforcement going until the bobcat is deterred from your property.
- You won’t get rabies from one: Although bobcats are susceptible to the disease, transmission to humans is very rare. “If you are not feeding or petting the bobcat, or handling its feces, there should be no risk of disease transmission,” ACO O’Brien said.
- They’re everywhere: Bobcats can be found in nearly every region of the continental U.S. Although they’re primarily nocturnal hunters, they may be seen during the day hunting or foraging for food.
And the likelihood of seeing a mountain lion in New Hampshire?
According to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, the species that once inhabited the northeast, known as the eastern mountain lion, is now extinct. To date, the department says they haven’t received any verifiable evidence of mountain lions existing in New Hampshire.
“If we did, you’d know it,” Salem Police said.
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