The "Friendly Bobcat" Story

It was another ordinary day.  Reading about an injured wild animal that had a surprising reaction to a deputy's offer of help.  Normally, wounded animals are most times vicious when approached by humans, but recently a sheriff's office deputy in Lee County, Florida was able to pick up an injured bobcat and put it in his patrol car.  I'm assuming that the patrol car had cage bars or a bullet proof plate across the rear seat!  Well, what happened next left the deputy and all others slack-jawed.  A photo shared by the Lee County Sheriff's Office shows the predator bobcat willingly curled up in deputy Vincent Lopez's arms like a 30-pound house cat.  The Sheriff's office wrote in a Facebook post that "He was able to get this stunning fur baby to safety and transport it to Blue Pearl Animal Hospital where he reportedly will make a full recovery!"  Seldom do bobcats attack humans, but it has happened in the past.  And, being it was an injured Bobcat, it was more than likely to try and defend itself when the deputy arrived.  Bobcats grow to about 30 pounds in Florida and aren't known to tolerate the company of  humans.  Vincent was just lucky that he came upon a "friendly" bobcat!  Somehow the bobcat sensed that he wasn't in jeopardy when Vincent appeared.  Vincent joined the department in 2021.  For his recent capture he used heavy-duty gloves and a blanket, but was largely vulnerable to the predator's claws and teeth.  Many commented how calm the bobcat appeared as the deputy carried it to his patrol car.  And, what's even more amazing is that the bobcat stopped to pose for a photograph!  One person wondered how in the world did that bobcat let him get that close and not get bitten.  He was lucky that he's walking away without a scratch on his face or body.  Another commented that the animal realized that he was being helped and must have been in extreme pain to allow Vincent to administer the help he did.  Evidently, the bobcat must have been struck by an automobile.  A nearby resident was the first to report it lying in the road, with its back legs appearing to be immobile.  The bobcat was transported to the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife in Lee County.  Lee County is about 130 miles southeast of Tampa, Florida.  Here's hoping that the bobcat will have a full recovery!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.