Does Smyrna Have a Bobcat?
Some Smyrna-Vinings Patch readers have reported bobcat sightings in the city.
Photos
Like most Atlanta suburbs, Smyrna is home to squirrels, chipmunks, a flock of Canada geese and the occasional deer, but what about a bobcat?
One reader emailed Smyrna-Vinings Patch to say that her husband thought he might have spotted one of the bob-tailed felines in the city.
"Just a couple of weeks ago my husband was returning from the post office and when he got home he said, 'You're not going to believe what I just saw - I saw a bobcat,'" she said.
This particular reader thought her husband “had lost his mind” until she saw a comment on Smyrna-Vinings Patch. Now she said she owes him an apology.
A reader with the username “HeMaw and SheMaw” said they have spotted all sorts of unusual wildlife in their yard on Love Street.
“Ancient, backyard fences are grown over with ivy, and the wooded lots back there have confounded more than a few lost animals, trapped behind a hidden fence, on a thickly wooded lot,” HeMaw said. “In the 12 yrs I've lived there, we've had dogs, coyotes, a fox, a bob cat, and...(wait for it...) a (huge) big horn sheep, all wander onto our lot, and be vexed by the barriers on 3 sides.”
Neither city officials nor the police department have received reports of a bobcat sighting. However, a Wikipedia article about the critters indicates that a bobcat in Smyrna might not be that unusual:
“The bobcat's range does not seem to be limited by human populations, as long as it can find a suitable habitat; only large, intensively cultivated tracts are unsuitable for the species. The animal may appear in backyards in ‘urban edge’ environments, where human development intersects with natural habitats.”
30080
10:21 am on Monday, September 24, 2012
I haven't seen the bobcat but as we encroach on wildlife habitat they have to go somewhere. I've heard of coyotes and mountain lions being seen in Marietta. Also it seems there was a story about a bear in or near Cobb Co. along I-75.
Delicious
10:36 am on Monday, September 24, 2012
A big horn sheep? I saw a Sasquatch, oh wait it was just my neighbor sunbathing. That lady really needs to shave.
Anita Norman
12:01 pm on Monday, September 24, 2012
LOL!
anryms
10:45 am on Monday, September 24, 2012
Just a few weeks back I spotted two coyotes behind the market village on Bank St. They were laying in the grass on the empty lot at the corner of Bank St and Village Walk behind City Hall.
Bill
11:30 am on Monday, September 24, 2012
I saw a coyote a few years ago trot through the area of Spring Street and Anderson Circle. Pretty sure it found our cat too. Circle of life.
Anita Norman
12:02 pm on Monday, September 24, 2012
We live in Bentley Park sub and have seen a large hawk up in the trees lately so we don't let our small dog stay outside for more than a couple minutes at a time. Even if we're out there with him, I'm not sure there would be anything we could do to stop a hawk from swooping down and carrying him off.
Brian
1:05 pm on Monday, September 24, 2012
I saw a bobcat coming out of the woods about 10 feet away when I was in Canada. I yelled "Bobcat bobcat" and ran and got my camera about 30 feet away and ran back. Unfortunately, before I got to snap a picture, it turned and walked into the woods.
Jonquil Gardener
1:19 pm on Monday, September 24, 2012
You know what the hawk said the eagle after eating a little dog don't you?.....
"tastes like chicken"
Chris Long
2:14 pm on Monday, September 24, 2012
Where is Cousin Eddie? He usually eats these ****** things.
Francie
6:16 pm on Monday, September 24, 2012
I had a bob cat 20 years ago near/around Teasley Elementary - it killed several dogs and cats and you could hear it screaming/spitting at night - really an eerie sound. With construction of new homes it moved away. Heard it for 2 years or so.
Sheri1
9:18 am on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Saw a coyote running across S Cobb Drive at dusk near Ridgeview Institute!
Smyrnan
10:45 am on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
So those coyotes are still there. A group of them was seen during that awful snow/ice storm we had a couple of years ago.
William C.
10:26 am on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
I was walking up to Red's Timbers on Saturday night around 10:30. As I got closer I could hear the god awfullist sound that you can imagine. It sounded like a cat in heat. So right when I got to the door to go in I saw a couple of cougurs heading my way. I was scared as you can imagine. They definantly appeared to be in full heat, and the racket those two were making as they stalked there prey(me) was mind numbing.
Lynn Woodall
10:57 am on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
William, LOL! Four legged cougars or two legged cougars?
Not a Fool
4:22 pm on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
I have seen in my backyard off of Gann Rd., 2 deer running together on several occasions the past few months. Also see coyotes almost weekly.
John Koch
11:32 pm on Sunday, September 30, 2012
We have seen multiple Coyotes in Reed Place and multiple neighbors saw a bobcat on the same night last Spring. Lots of wildlife along the creek back here.
Smyrnan
9:05 am on Monday, October 22, 2012
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2012-10-21/hungry-coyotes-might-threaten-georgia-deer-herds
We're gaining coyotes but loosing deer.
Becky Houze
12:27 am on Saturday, January 26, 2013
Smyrna Coyote sighting tonight January 26, 2013 at midnight Spring Road and Glenroy. First time I have seen one so close to home.