FWC Investigates Bobcat’s Mysterious Passing in Safety Harbor

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has released the findings of its investigation into the peculiar death of a bobcat discovered last spring in Safety Harbor. Named ‘Bobbi’ by local residents, the bobcat was found 30 feet above ground, perched in a tree, with no clear cause of death.

The community of Country Villas in Safety Harbor was startled when the bobcat, affectionately named ‘Bobbi,’ was discovered hanging lifelessly in a tree. The circumstances of its death were unusual, with no visible signs of trauma or foul play, prompting neighbors to seek assistance from the FWC and local organization Birds in Helping Hands.

Fairl Thomas from Birds in Helping Hands described the scene as bizarre. ‘Rigor mortis had set in, and its forearms had clung around one of the limbs,’ Thomas explained. Given the area’s history with rodenticide poisoning, there was immediate concern that Bobbi might have succumbed to the same fate as many local birds of prey.

Safety Harbor is no stranger to rodenticide issues. The area has witnessed a minimum of ten rodenticide poisoning cases, particularly affecting birds of prey. The FWC’s necropsy results, however, remained inconclusive, leaving the community with unanswered questions.

Fairl Thomas elaborated on the pervasive nature of rodenticide poisoning. She noted previous instances when owls tested positive for anticoagulant rat poison, leading to internal bleeding. Birds, like the great-horned owl, consuming numerous rodents in a single night, face the risk of accumulative poisoning if the prey had ingested rat poison. This situation raises similar concerns for other predators like bobcats.

The FWC was contacted for further clarification on why the necropsy results could not confirm poisoning or other causes of death. As of now, the FWC has not provided additional insights, leaving the community to speculate on Bobbi’s fate.

While the cause of Bobbi the bobcat’s death remains a mystery, the situation highlights ongoing concerns about rodenticide use and its potential impact on wildlife. The community continues to grapple with the implications of these poisons on their local ecosystem, hoping for future measures to prevent such occurrences.

Source: Fox13news