Possible Bobcat Sighting near Baldwin Road

Yorktown police received an amateur video that shows a bobcat-like animal walking under the power lines near Baldwin Road.

There have been no reported encounters. 

But it's not impossible -- Police remind residents that coyotes, bobcats and bears have been seen in Yorktown before.

It's not an occasion for getting snapshots, they say. Residents should not leave small children or pets unattended. Do not  leave garbage outside, or feed pets or wildlife outside.

According to the Department of Environmental Conservation:

Bobcat are about twice the size of a domestic cat and usually smaller than the Canada lynx. Their fur is dense, short, and soft and is generally shorter and more reddish in the summer and longer and more gray in the winter. Spotting occurs in some bobcats and is faded in others. The face has notable long hairs along the cheeks and black tufts at the tops of each ear.
Males are, on average, one-third larger than females. Both sexes can be greater than 30 pounds; however, averages for males and females are 21 and 14 pounds, respectively. Body length for males is 34 inches and 30 inches for females. Tail length is usually between 5 and 6 inches for both sexes. 

The most critical features of bobcat habitat are places for refuge and protection, such as ledges. Bobcat often use rocky ledges and rock piles for shelter, breeding, and raising young. Brush piles, hollow trees, and logs are other good structures for resting and dens. Evergreen bogs and swamps, and other secluded places also fill the bobcat's requirement for refuge and protection.
Bobcat usually are not present where there are continuous human population centers; however, they can use patches of habitat if the patches are not completely isolated by urban development.

Report sightings to the DEC: 

(845) 256-3088--Sullivan, Ulster, Orange, Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester