CLEVELAND (WJW) — A bobcat was spotted in Cuyahoga County for the first time in well over a century, the Cleveland Metroparks revealed Tuesday.
The wildcat was reportedly caught on camera in a “remote area” of the park system, once on July 9 and also on Oct. 6.
This is the first time a bobcat has been seen in the county since 1850, the Ohio Division of Wildlife said.
To be clear, bobcats, which only range from 15-35 pounds, are extremely leery of humans, and there are only a few hundred sightings reported across Ohio annually.
“Predators like bobcats are important for a balanced ecosystem,” the Metroparks said in a Facebook post. “And this sighting is a signal of our regional biodiversity and the species slow but successful return across Ohio.
Wildlife experts are going to continue watching out for the “big” cat.