Calgary resident Trevor Pinkster said he didn't expect to see a hurt bobcat hanging outside his house Wednesday. .“My first thing was, wow, bobcat right here,” said Pinkster in a Thursday interview. .“I’ve seen him before, but from a far distance in Chaparral a year or so ago.” .Pinkster said he was working from home when his neighbour two houses down came to his place to tell him there was a bobcat on his porch. He said he went out to his driveway and saw a bobcat leaning near his neighbour’s eavesdrop. .He noticed the bobcat had a trap caught on his paw. His neighbour called Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement (AFWE). .He described the trap as “like a medieval cartoon bear trap.” There was a metal clasp right around its paw, so the bobcat must have broken free from the machine. .Pinkster said the bobcat was sitting with his paw with the trap up in the air. What he found out after was this bobcat is famous in his neighbourhood, as there is a Facebook group named Bobby the Bobcat. .After looking through the Facebook group, he saw it looked as if the trap had been on Bobby for weeks. People had shared photos of him, and AFWE had been trying to trap him. .Pinkster went on to say he was concerned about a person setting up a trap such as this one. He added it would be dangerous for children or pet if they had a foot or paw stuck in it. .AFWE showed up about 15 minutes later. Rescuers attempted to capture him, but he escaped from them again. .They used a trap with bait, where the bobcat would enter in and the door closes behind him. While they were unsuccessful with this attempt, they did capture him on Thursday. .Pinkster continued by saying he has not learned any more information about the trap. If a child or pet stumbled upon the trapped bobcat, he said there would be “a potentially violent interaction.” .He said it's great rescuers caught the bobcat. They moved him to a wildlife rehabilitation centre. .“That’s exactly the outcome that myself and I think every person that’s part of that Facebook group and residents of Chaparral were hoping for,” he said. .AFWE said it received multiple calls about sightings of the bobcat in Chaparral over the past week. It said officers worked with the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society as they collaboratively attempted to capture the animal..The department confirmed the bobcat was captured on Thursday.."The Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society will be in touch with their authorized veterinarian and biologists with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas to assess the bobcat," it said.."Calgary Fish and Wildlife officers are investigating the incident and would encourage anyone with information to report it via the 24-hour Report A Poacher line at 1 (800) 642-3800 or online at https://www.alberta.ca/report-poacher.aspx#jumplinks-3."
