West Hartford resident Kara Wiemert snapped a series of photos of a bobcat headed from Walton Drive (heading north/northeast) towards Braeburn Road near the entrance to Braeburn Elementary School.

The photos were taken on Dec. 15, 2016, at approximately 8:15 a.m.

A bobcat heads from Walton Drive toward Braeburn Elementary School. Photo courtesy of Kara Wiemert

This is not the first time a local resident has photographed a bobcat. Last winter resident Ellen Brassil spotted one in the neighborhood near Duffy Elementary School.

According to the Connecticut DEEP, bobcats “can be found in hardwood (deciduous) forests and mixed hardwood-softwood (coniferous) forests. They have a preference for brushy lowlands and swamps, as well as brushy and rocky woodlands broken by fields, old roads, and farmland. They tend not to prefer mature forest but do flourish in areas with a thick understory.”

Their diet includes “cottontail rabbits, woodchucks, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, voles, snowshoe hares, white-tailed deer, birds, and, to a much lesser extent, insects and reptiles. Deer that are taken by bobcats are most likely sick, injured, young, or very old. Bobcats also prey on domestic animals, such as poultry, small pigs, sheep, and goats.”

According to the DEEP, bobcats rarely bother humans and attacks on humans are rare, but may in some cases may kill livestock such as chickens, and also may occasionally attack cats.

Report any bobcat sightings can be reported to the DEEP Wildlife Division at [email protected]or by calling 860-424-3011.

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A bobcat heads from Walton Drive toward Braeburn Elementary School. Photo courtesy of Kara Wiemert

A bobcat heads from Walton Drive toward Braeburn Elementary School. Photo courtesy of Kara Wiemert

A bobcat heads from Walton Drive toward Braeburn Elementary School. Photo courtesy of Kara Wiemert