‘A bobcat attacked my wife!’ Security camera captures wild encounter in North Carolina
“Good morning!” a man in shorts and a fleece jacket carrying what appears to be a tray of baked goods called to a jogger outside his suburban home.
Ten seconds later, the seemingly benign man turned into what some people are calling a Hulk-like hero when a bobcat attacked his wife in North Carolina.
Home security cameras captured the bizarre moment the unidentified man hurled a bobcat across his North Carolina yard and threatened to shoot it. The 46-second clip was first posted on TikTok and has since been widely shared on Facebook, Twitter and Reddit.
One woman’s tweet with the video had been viewed nearly 10 million times as of Friday afternoon.
Warning: This video contains material that might be difficult for some people to watch and contains explicit language.
This was a wild 46 seconds pic.twitter.com/jIHQg0G4qU
— Sada (@Evi3Zamora) April 15, 2021
Capt. James Rowell with the Pender County Sheriff’s Office in Eastern North Carolina confirmed Friday the video is related to an incident that occurred April 9 involving a rabid bobcat near the Creekside Subdivision in Burgaw, about 45 minutes north of Wilmington near the coast.
Rowell told McClatchy News the bobcat attacked another person before it arrived at the house where the security footage was taken.
“It’s not uncommon to see bobcats,” Rowell said. “They don’t normally cause a problem — they stay away from folks.”
The animal was taken to the N.C. State Laboratory of Public Health in Raleigh, where officials determined it was positive for rabies, the sheriff’s office said.
In the video, the man is heard greeting a jogger as he set down a to-go cup and made a comment about needing to wash the car.
Then the screaming began.
The man’s wife ran between two vehicles in the driveway, and a scuffle ensued before he emerged holding the bobcat over his head. The animal appeared to be snarling and hissing as the man launched it across the front yard and yelled, “Get out, get out, get out!”
The video shows the bobcat dash under the car as the man chased it and hollered for his wife to watch out.
“I’m going to shoot that [expletive]!” he yelled. “Get out!”
In the final few seconds of the video, the man appeared to warn someone off screen that a bobcat just attacked his wife.
Some people were baffled by the video, but most seemed impressed.
He picked up the bobcat and flung it like a frisbee.
A bobcat.
That attacked his wife.
The drew his gun and chased it, all before having coffee.
Not all heroes wear capes. pic.twitter.com/Vrh2nhbfxs— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) April 16, 2021
thought about it all night and I’ve decided the best part of the bobcat video is when it loops back around and you hear his pleasant “Good morning!” https://t.co/fN8DyfMmT9
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) April 16, 2021
If you’re not going to throw a bobcat for me are you really for me? https://t.co/1idb53dOUG
— L I V (@LisforLiv) April 16, 2021
This dude threw that bobcat like a sack o taters
— Ryan Glumm (@glumm12) April 16, 2021
I'm sorry but he straight yeeted that bobcat https://t.co/MEUSJBU3uk
— Phillip Smith (@philchiefs13) April 16, 2021
A few expressed concern for the bobcat and questioned whether they had witnessed animal cruelty.
In a lengthy Twitter thread, wildlife biologist Imogene Cancellare said bobcats “don’t normally seek out humans.” She said the creatures are defensive — not offensive — and typical human interactions involve bobcats that are cornered in buildings or have attacked pets.
“Bobcats are opportunistic hunters and will kill small pets, but I’m not sure how common it is for them to actually eat a pet dog or cat vs killing it to eliminate a threat,” Cancellare said. “Carnivores do that sometimes, sorry.”
I feel bad for the bobcat in the video because he got THROWN, but we're not going to vilify the guy for protecting his wife. If I was holding a bobcat that was trying to bite me, I would absolutely throw it away from me!
— Imogene Cancellare (@biologistimo) April 16, 2021
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