Illinois Has More Of These Big Cats Than You May Have Thought

I've lived in Illinois, Northern Illinois in particular, for my entire life. The neighborhood that I grew up in bordered a forest, and we spent lots of time there throughout my entire childhood and adolescence. In all those years, I only saw a bobcat one time, and it was for only a fleeting moment before it disappeared into the trees.

When I shared the story at dinner with my parents that night, my mom freaked out and went off about how lucky I was that it didn't eat me or my friends, because (according to her) that's what bobcats do.

Spoiler Alert: In all of recorded human history, there's never been a report of a bobcat killing a human being. Ever. Even non-fatal attacks are rare because bobcats are shy and not aggressive toward people unless the bobcat is rabid (more on that later) or has been provoked.

Sorry, mom.

Bobcats Became A Real Hot Topic A Couple Of Years Back Because Of A Driveway Incident That Produced A Viral Video

Bobcats, and their expanding populations have been a fairly hot topic since an incident nearly two years ago in a North Carolina family's driveway when a rabid bobcat attacked a couple while they tried to get into their car to go to work.

Spoiler alert: It went badly for the bobcat.

The question "are there bobcats near my location"  has been getting asked a lot on Google since that time, and many times the answer has been yes.

If you don't recall the incident I'm talking about, watch this:

Even Though Illinois' Bobcat Numbers Are On The Rise, Experts Say The Chances Of You Having To Body Slam A Rabid Bobcat In Your Driveway Are Slim

To be on the safe side, you might want to remember that guy's body slam technique (or, yeet)...just in case.

The Illinois Bobcat Foundation says that the American bobcat, which is the only native wild cat in Illinois, was once listed as a threatened species. It was first protected in 1972, but the designation was removed in 1999. After being removed from the protected list, bobcat hunting/trapping legislation allowed the first season in over 40 years to begin in 2016.

So It's Not Really Much Of A Surprise To Learn That Illinois' Bobcat Population Is Growing

We have 102 counties here in Illinois, and the Illinois Bobcat Foundation estimates that there are over 5,000 bobcats roaming about in 99 of those counties. If it makes you feel any better, just pretend that you live in one of the three bobcat-less counties.

Over the last 3 years, there have been multiple sightings throughout the Chicago suburbs and Southern Wisconsin, so I've got to figure that at least one of us in Northern Illinois is going to have a "is that a bobcat?" moment at some point in the near future.

Hopefully, it will be at a distance where you can admire how athletic bobcats are: