Savage Battle Between Bobcat and Deer Captured on Trail Cam in Urban Park
Unbelievable footage has surfaced showing a bobcat taking out a mule deer in the U.S.’ largest urban state park.
Warning:Some may find the footage disturbing.
The grayscale video (possibly captured in infrared) was captured by woodworker and park ranger Paul Hanson last year but was only recently widely viewed. It was captured in Franklin Mountains State Park which lies within the city limits of El Paso, Texas.
The intense video starts with the bobcat attached to the mule deer. The pair are locked in a life-and-death battle as they roll into the camera’s field of view. The deer kicks and struggles in a bid to get the bobcat off but the feline refuses to let go and eventually subdues its prey.
Outdoor Life notes that while bobcats mostly target deer that are young, sick, or in someway infirm, occasionally the feisty cats will go for a healthy adult deer. Although it is impossible to tell from the footage whether the deer was fully healthy.
The Nature is Metal Instagram page adds that “an adult bobcat weighs roughly 30 – 40 pounds. Your average mule deer can weigh upwards of 200 pounds. You would think that, given the large gap in the size of each animal, that this would be a no-go for the cat. You would be wrong.”
The Instagram page, which regularly posts videos of violent nature encounters, says that “because bobcats rely on stealth and the art of surprise, these predators are able to pick the exact moment they spring their trap. This allows them to go directly for the killzone (head/neck area) and then hold on for dear life as the target thrashes and bucks into survival mode.”
Franklin Mountains State Park has a “robust mule deer population” with an estimated 250,000 individuals living there depending on the time of year.
What is it About Bobcats?
They may be the smallest of big cats but that doesn’t stop them from being incredible apex predators. Recently, a photographer captured a bobcat taking a giant blue heron out of the sky while another trail cam captured one taking down a deer that was five times its size.
Image credits: Paul Hanson
