Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division
WILDLIFE WEDNESDAY! Quiz!
What critter covered its prize? EDIT: This is classic BOBCAT BEHAVIOR. They cover larger food items with nearby materials and visit it at their leisure to feed. Click here to learn more about Alabama’s bobcats: www.outdooralabama.com/carnivores/bobcat
Alabama dead deer video sparks debate on panthers, Bigfoot
Posted Dec 20, 2019
The Deep South is allegedly home to all manner of mythical creatures, so Alabama officials threw gas on a fire Wednesday when they posted video of a dead deer hidden under a pile of leaves and sticks.
A mysterious predator had cleverly tried to covered its “prize” for leisure snacking, and the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division asked the public to guess which predator had done it.
What followed was pure social media madness.
A few people suggested the 90-second video was a setup, but most took it very, very seriously.
Within four hours, it had been viewed 5,000 times and ignited a fiery debate that started with bears vs. mountain lions, then took sharp turn into urban legend territory.
It continued Thursday, even after state officials said it was likely a bobcat that did it, something state biologists described as “classic bobcat behavior.”
“I am not sure a Bobcat can take a deer, could this be a bear?” Jim Deal asked on the state’s Facebook page.
“No way a bobcat could do this,” Mike Scott added.
The possibility of a Bigfoot attack came up, along a mountain lion, bear and multiple references to a mysterious “black cat” that conspiracy theorists insist lives in the state undetected. Some even submitted grainy photos as proof it.
“Ur an idiot if u don’t believe in black panthers in Alabama,” insisted someone named JD.
“They most definitely are. I believe you,” responded Bobbie Wilhite.
Panthers, mountain lions and cougars do not live in Alabama, state officials insisted in response to such comments.
However, the South does have bobcats, a 40-pound carnivore that is considered solitary and secretive, according to OutdoorAlabama.com, a state website.
“They are an elusive animal to see even where populations are high,” the site says. “Seldom seen during the daylight hours, bobcats do most of their hunting at night … They will occasionally feed on deer, mostly carrion, during the deer hunting season.”
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Written by The Charlotte Observer and distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
I’m rootin’ for Squatch, of course.