Horrible day.

02.28.09: Bobcat was in very poor condition. Looked like it was dying of starvation. By the way it was walking , it clearly was not able to hunt. It looked like there were 2 or 3 wounds on its lower back (not fresh wounds). I snapped some frames which I felt strange about but I knew this was going to be the last day I was to see him alive. Then I went to look for a ranger but when I returned the bobcat was gone. I went looking the following day but no signs and it was pouring rain.

03.07.09: The following week I went back to the area looking because I was haunted by the image of the frail, weakened bobcat and I could not get the image out of my head. I just couldn't shake it. I walked around for a few hours and on my way back to the truck something compelled me to go look in a new spot that I hadn't looked at before and there was a bobcat dead under a tree. Ugh, it was the bobcat from last week. There is a distinctive marking on his nose that I recognized.

The solitary life and death of a bobcat.

All I know is that he lived and died on his hill. And he was a male bobcat so I hope he got a chance to do some breeding this past month before he got wounded.

Rest in peace wild friend.

Sad.