Bobcats are an ancient American feline species known for their staking and hunting skills. They very rarely come near people, so if you encounter one, you’ve either surprised it or it’s sick. In either case, the best course of action is to back away slowly (don’t run!).
But sometimes (rarely!) you might let your sense of duty overcome your fears. That’s the choice two friends were faced with when they encountered a wounded bobcat stuck in an animal trap.
Chris Ward and his friend Aaron decided they couldn’t let the creature suffer and die there, so they embarked on a mission to release it. But the bobcat brain is pretty small and an angry, wounded bobcat has no greater instinct than to lash out at everything around it.
The two taped the encounter, which began with them announcing that they planned to free the feline, despite him being a “mean little dude.”
While he hisses, snarls, and growls, the two approach him without much of a plan, just a large stick and a duffel bag to hold around him so he can’t scratch while they try to release him.
You can’t help but feel bad for the poor little guy, who is clearly scared out of his mind. The humans, on the other hand, seem pretty confident.
There’s a big of giggling on their behalf, which makes the video harder to watch for some viewers since the cat goes berserk, likely further wounding his trapped paw.
The bobcat has no intention of being pinned down with the bag and attacks it viciously. (To be fair, he has no idea the men are trying to help him.)
When they finally manage to pin him down with the double-pronged stick for a few seconds, he quickly escapes and further protests their efforts by breaking the stick. At this point, one thinks this might be better as a two-person job, but apparently, someone has to record this for posterity.
When it begins to look like the cat is getting used to the stick, they nearly free him (and there’s some colorful language that follows that next fail).
The bobcat eventually starts treating the stick as an enemy toy, which gives one of the men a chance to get the bear trap off with his foot. And they finally free him!
At this point, one would expect the newly freed animal to turn and flee, but the cat sits upright and just stares at his rescuers. The men are puzzled and one says “he’s just chillin’, let him regain himself.”
The men give the cat a respectful moment to process the ordeal. There’s still some growling and snarling, but no effort by the bobcat to move towards the men.
Finally, he does move, but simply hides under their Jeep.
Of course, cats are startled by the revving of engines, so once they start the Jeep, he flees to freedom. And he looks just fine while scampering away.
Click on the video below to watch the scene and its happy ending, after which the rescuers agree that is was a very cool experience.
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