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BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK Visitor Attacked by Bobcat [Printer-friendly text version] On the afternoon of February 1st, a visitor was attacked by a bobcat while visiting the Hot Springs area in Big Bend NP. The visitor, a 49-year old woman from Wisconsin, had just gotten out of the hot springs pool when the bobcat leapt towards her, sinking its teeth into her left arm and wrapping both front legs around her torso. The woman was able to shake the cat loose and it fell into the pool. The cat then got out of the pool, walked a short distance away, defecated and departed. About half a dozen visitors were in the area when the attack occurred. One visitor who was approaching the hot springs on the trail saw the cat about 50 feet away, loping towards the visitors in the spring. He said that the cat broke into a run when it was about ten feet from the woman, then jumped on her. The woman sustained deep puncture wounds to her left arm and scratches and punctures from claws to both the front and rear of her abdominal area. She was treated by park medics and sent to a local hospital for a follow-up exam and tetanus shot. All witnesses agreed the cat was acting normally and appeared healthy. Rangers closed the area to visitors and began attempting to locate the bobcat.
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| National Park Service | Department of the Interior | FirstGov |