A family in a rural area outside of Halifax were treated to an unusual sight in the very own backyard – a trio of bobcats ambling through the snow.
Nichole Lamontagne said her son came downstairs Sunday, saying he saw a bobcat walk across their backyard from his bedroom window.
“We immediately jumped up, went to the back door and had a look,” Lamontagne recalled to CTV Atlantic.
With a camera at the ready, the family witnessed not one, but three bobcats exploring their tree-lined yard.
“I was completely blown away,” Lamontagne said. “I mean it’s very rare to see one, but to see three is just unheard of really. I was lucky enough to get it on video and yeah I posted it and it went viral. It was spectacular.”
In the video, which has racked up more than 7,000 views since Lamontagne uploaded it to YouTube, the bobcats can be seen walking across the snow-covered yard together.
Andrew Hebda, a zoologist at the Museum of Natural History, said he believes the video shows a bobcat mother and its two kittens that were born last year. He said he thinks the kittens may be learning to survive their first winter.
“Seeing a bobcat right in a residential area, it’s a little bit unusual,” he said.
Nonetheless, the zoologist said this is the time of year when people are more likely to see them.
“They’re easier to spot because they contrast with the snow and of course, they’ll be foraging for food right now,” Hebda said.
Lamontagne said she’s received mixed reactions to the video of the bobcats with some expressing concern about safety.
