Game officials say Gateway Clipper bobcat first in Pittsburgh in decades
As it was exceedingly rare for a native bobcat to board the Gateway Clipper this past weekend, the diminutive cat's appearance is the first confirmed sighting in the City of Pittsburgh limits in at least two decades, probably longer, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission on Tuesday.
The Clipper bobcat was a young male likely looking for territory, officials speculated.
“I'm surprised the animal ended up on the Gateway Clipper, but not shocked that a bobcat was found in downtown Pittsburgh,” said Tom Fazi, director of the Game Commission's southwest regional office.
Even with Allegheny County's 130 municipalities and population of 1.2 million, there are still significant swatches of greenery along ravines, hillsides and the rivers for bobcats to traverse.
And they are not far away.
Bobcat populations continue to grow in the state, with some known dens in Allegheny County's Forward and Harrison townships and elsewhere, according to Dan Puhala, a game warden with the Game Commission who covers areas north of Pittsburgh.
A bobcat coming to the city wouldn't have far to go.
The animal can travel 20 miles in a day or so, Puhala said.
“This is speculation, but if that bobcat's mother was in heat, it ran it off,” he said.
The timing is right, as bobcats breed in late February to early March.
Puhala released the Clipper bobcat Monday in state game lands in Armstrong County.
Bobcats are primarily nocturnal but will hunt in the day, dusk and the early morning, he said.
“They are not seen often, and they prefer not to be around people,” Puhala said. “They are evasive and seclusive.”
They are not that big, either.
The Gateway Clipper cat weighed about 18 pounds, which isn't much more than a typical Maine coon cat.
Puhala noted the negative comments about the Pittsburgh bobcat recently on social media.
“They are not a threat, not anymore than any other wild animal,” he said.
To learn more about bobcats, visit the Game Commission's website .
Mary Ann Thomas is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-226-4691, mthomas@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MaThomas_Trib.
