Three people were attacked by a bobcat on Wednesday in Virginia in an altercation that police officers said resulted in a man sustaining serious injuries after ending up “in a wrestling match with the cat.”
The attack occurred on Wednesday, Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, according to the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office. In a Facebook post, the sheriff’s office announced that two men and a woman had been attacked by the animal.
“A man at the scene grabbed the bobcat by the hind legs and ended up in a wrestling match with the cat. He suffered severe wounds on his legs and arms,” wrote the sheriff’s office.
The man sustained “severe wounds in his legs and arms” and was flown to a hospital, but is now recovering from the attack at home. The other man was treated with minor injuries after the attack.
The sheriff’s office also noted that there was also a recent report that a bobcat attacked cattle and a dog in the area.
Three people were attacked by a bobcat on Wednesday in Virginia in an altercation that police officers said resulted in a man sustaining serious injuries after ending up “in a wrestling match with the cat.” Upstairs, a rescued bobcat waits to be fed on October 20, 2011 at The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado.
John Moore
“At some point the cat also tried to break into a house through an open door,” the sheriff’s office explained.
On Thursday, the sheriff’s office announced that a bobcat was hit by a vehicle, killed and sent to health officials for “investigation and review”.
In a Friday morning Facebook post, Mount Rogers Health District said that “a bobcat has been found and sent for testing, but there is no way to confirm it is THE bobcat. As always, residents are urged to exercise caution in encounters to let wild animals. “
Later on Friday, the health district announced that the bobcat, which was hit by a car and killed on Thursday, tested positive for rabies. Health officials found that rabies “is most commonly transmitted through a bite, but can also be transmitted through the saliva or brain tissue of a rabid animal that comes into contact with eyes, mucous membranes or open wounds”.
The sheriff’s office determined that bobcat attacks are rare.
“A bobcat is extremely unlikely to be attacked, especially during the day. Anyone observing animals during the day that do not run away immediately should contact Animal Control or the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources’ Wildlife Conflict Helpline at 855-. 571-9003, “the office explained.
In April, a video of a man showing a Bobcat attack in North Carolina went viral. The video shows a man throwing a bobcat after it attacked his wife.
