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Bobcat has northwest-side neighborhood buzzing

A bobcat has been seen wandering the Olmos Creek neighborhood.

The Whispering Oaks neighborhood is abuzz with gossip about a whiskered neighbor people started noticing about a week ago.

It is a big, wildcat and people have been posting pictures and videos of the impressive feline on social media for about a week.

Texas Parks and Wildlife urban biologists say that lots of people are talking about this bobcat because, uncharacteristically, it has been wandering the area during the daylight hours.

Blaine Matera lives on Whisper Willow Street. He said that he first saw the bobcat when he stepped out to run an errand.

"I was really weirded out about it. I was like, ‘Okay, there's a crazy cat in our neighborhood,’" Matera said.

Arturo Terrazas of GT Roofing said that he had a bird's eye view of the cat from his perch on a roof across the street from Matera's house.

"I knew it wasn't a dog and I knew it wasn't a regular cat. I was thinking it was a mountain cat," said Terrazas, adding that they stopped work long enough to shoot some still pictures and video of the unusual sight.

"Literally, if you open your door, you can see a bobcat outside your door. It's that close," another neighbor said.

Biologists say that there is nothing to fear because wildcats are a natural part of our creek way environments, and the Olmos Creek basin bisects the Whispering Oaks neighborhood.

Even though the creek has been channelized, wildlife experts say that it still has plenty of food for wild animals and the lure of fresh water pools.

While some have posted comments online saying that they wish someone would remove the big cat, many say that a magnificent sight like this in the heart of the city is a treasure.

"He shouldn't be hurt, and I'm afraid somebody will do that," one woman said.

"What I thought was it might have been hungry and it was scared,” Terrazas said. “It wasn't here to do any danger."

Matera said that he’s accustomed to seeing wild animals in the area, and while some might be concerned for small pets, he believes most people are happy to live in a naturally rich habitat.

"I don't think people are too worried about getting attacked,” he said. “It's probably more afraid of us than we are of it.”

State biologists say that while they’ve have been getting phone calls about the bobcat, they have no action plan because the cat has not caused any problems.

Their best advice: Leave wild animals and their youngsters alone, don't feed them, and remember, wild spaces and green belts belong to all creatures, great and small.

The phone number for Texas Parks and Wildlife in San Antonio is 210-348-7375 for anyone who has questions about this or other wildlife issues.

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