Washington County Sheriff’s Office warns of possible bobcat in Bethany area

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. (KPTV) - The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is warning community members in the Bethany area about a potential bobcat sighting.

The large cat was captured on camera, and FOX 12 spoke to neighbors in the area about the sighting as well as the precautions they’re taking.

The sheriff’s office posted a video from a neighbor on social media on Monday afternoon and say a large cat, believed to be a bobcat, was reported near NW Kaiser Road near NW Springville Road.

In an area packed with Bobcat construction rigs, it came as quite a shock when the flesh-and-blood version came strolling down the street.

“He was calm, he was walking away, he wasn’t crouching or anything,” said neighbor Tom Humphrey.

Tom Humphrey spotted the big cat near Northwest Kaiser and Springville roads, but made sure not to press his luck.

“No, I don’t know what they do, I don’t know how they behave when they get close,” said neighbor.

While some neighbors admit their first instinct would be to bolt, like Andrew Reyes.

“I’d probably be like ‘oh snap I’m running away,” said Reyes. “Yeah, I don’t know about that. I don’t know about that.”

Humphrey paused to appreciate the rare sight.

“Because he wasn’t being hostile or any way, I just thought it was a beautiful animal, walking through our neighborhood, I hope he is okay,” said Humphrey.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said no injuries have been reported and that wildlife sightings aren’t unusual in Washington County.

“I have grown up in an area where lions are roaming like that a bobcat is nothing,” said Satish Bharadvaj. “We are in their neighborhood, they are not in our neighborhood.”

Still, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said play it safe: supervise young kids, bring pet food inside, and keep your dogs leashed.

Whether nervous or fascinated, neighbors said they’ll be keeping their eyes peeled.

“I’ll probably just keep an eye out just to make sure I’m okay,” said Reyes.

“It is wilderness you have to be careful, whenever we go in wild, we have to realize there are some animals who belong there and you may encounter,” said Bharadvaj.

More information from the ODFW about living around bobcats can be found here.