CRESSKILL, N.J.—Reports of a bobcat seen in Cresskill were broadcast about 9 p.m. July 3 via Nixle alerts to the community.
According to New Jersey’s environmental agency, bobcats have been occasionally sighted in Bergen County recently but have suffered massive declines in New Jersey in the last century due to habitat loss and fragmentation, land use changes, and automobile collisions.
The state agency has begun efforts to better track statewide bobcat populations and provide more interconnected habitat. However, generally sightings are rare.
According to the Office of Emergency Management alert, broadcast as “a wild animal sighting,” the text message notification said the bobcat was “sighted near Cranford Park” on Cresskill’s west side.
“Be vigilant when outdoors,” stated the instant emergency alert. The alert was broadcast at 8:50 p.m. Wednesday.
A state environmental agency fact sheet lists the bobcat as a state endangered species but notes it is not listed on the federal list.
“The bobcat is a medium sized-cat, about two feet tall—larger than a house cat, but much smaller than a cougar or lion. Adult females in New Jersey generally weigh between 18 and 25 pounds while adult males can weigh as much as 35 pounds,” states the NJDEP fact sheet.
According to the fact sheet, bobcats prey on rabbits, mice, squirrels, ground-nesting songbirds, turkeys, and even small or sick deer.
They only eat about 3 pounds of meat at a time, said the fact sheet, so if they manage to catch a larger animal, they will drag it to a safe spot, cover it up, and return later to feed again.
“Generally they hunt both by night and day, although there is evidence to suggest that most hunting takes place at dawn and dusk. They are extremely shy animals that are seldom seen by humans although as numbers have increased in northern parts of the state more and more people are seeing bobcats,” notes NJDEP’s fact sheet.
Efforts to contact OEM and Cresskill Police Department July 5 for an update on the bobcat were not returned by press time.