Experts Investigate Bobcat Sightings In Northeast Edmond

EDMOND, Okla. (AP) _ A wildlife expert is looking into whether a bobcat may have been responsible for the recent death of a pet sheltie in far northeast Edmond. <br/><br/>Animal welfare officer Kenny Stevenson

Monday, November 20th 2006, 2:54 pm

By: News On 6

EDMOND, Okla. (AP) _ A wildlife expert is looking into whether a bobcat may have been responsible for the recent death of a pet sheltie in far northeast Edmond.

Animal welfare officer Kenny Stevenson says there have been several reports of bobcat sightings in northeast Edmond in recent months.

Mary Ledbetter's 5-year-old Sheltie was killed after it was shaken violently and suffered a broken back. Stevenson says a bobcat is capable of doing that, but so is another large dog or even a raccoon.

Stevenson says the recent sightings may be difficult to confirm since bobcats usually are active in the wild at dawn and dusk, when lighting conditions make it difficult to identify the animals.

Senior wildlife biologist Russ Horton says bobcats are common in Oklahoma, but they're not usually spotted in cities. He says about five-thousand bobcat pelts were tagged last year through the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.