Herons Ridge residents are accustomed to wildlife around their property. It’s Lakeland after all and with a plethora of trees and woods and water features, it’s not unusual to see a variety of critters.
But the sighting of not one but two bobcats in Herons Ridge this week got the attention of the HOA and HOA President Cary Cheston. Now the HOA is trying to humanely catch the bobcats and have them released to a safe place, away from the neighborhood.
Mr. Cheston said his neighbor of only a few weeks, Neil Le, called this week to report some kind of large cat in his terraced and landscaped backyard.
“He told me the cat is in his back yard every day and sits in the shade, up high in a terraced area with bushes, walkways and a fountain,” said Mr. Cheston.
Mr. Le took a picture of the visitor and shared via social media. It was soon decided that in fact the animal was a bobcat.
Mr. Cheston was familiar with several instances of bobcats attacking humans and worried small pets and young children could become targets. He cited examples in Georgia when a woman was attacked by a bobcat and another incident in Tennessee with a German Shepherd on a leash with its owner. And, he said, bobcats are notorious for carrying rabies.
He believes the development of a new area in Herons Ridge, sections C and D, are forcing wild animals from their habitat and they are looking for new homes.
It isn’t the first time for wild animals in Herons Ridge, he said. Using a $300 trap the HOA purchased, residents caught two coyotes separately this winter. The first one was trapped within an hour of placing the trap. A wildlife services company was called to relocate both animals.
He said businesses which provide wildlife services told him coyotes were impossible to catch and would not take the coyote-catching job in Herons Ridge. So the HOA ordered their own trap.
When the bobcats were spotted, the HOA decided to pull out the trap used this winter, bait it and hope to lure the animals into the cage, one at a time.
Last night (6.19.18), the trap was placed in the backyard yard of Mr. Le, but this morning, the cage was empty. Mr. Le expects to move the trap tomorrow morning, perhaps to a higher area in his backyard.
Both Mr. Le and Mr. Cheston live near the neighborhood park and pond. The Chestons have a 14-month-old son and 6-year-old daughter. The Les have a 16-month-old daughter.
“I felt like we had to do something,”” said Mr. Cheston. “Children play outside and I read those examples of people being attacked, unprovoked.”
… Photos courtesy of Cary Cheston.
