Bobcat spotted on the roof of an East El Paso house
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- With temperatures heating up in the Borderland, sightings of wildlife throughout the region are emerging.
A photo making waves on social media showing a large animal, which appears to be a bobcat, was captured at Butterfield Trail Golf Club last week.
Other photos show a family of deer crossing a busy street in Northeast El Paso.
Texas Park & Wildlife Urban Biologist, Lois Balin, tells ABC-7 it's due to the rise in temperature and drought that we've seen in recent weeks.Â
"They have requirements for survival and thriving. and that would be food, water, shelter and space," said Balin. "So they're coming down for all of the above, or at least one of those."
Balin said most of the wildlife will be seen in northeast and west El Paso, or in unincorporated areas of the city.
She said it's important to be aware of an increase in snake visibility and deer crossing roads during these months as well.
For one East El Paso resident, a Bobcat sighting was too close for comfort.
"I was lying down, and it just sounded like somebody was running on my roof. I mean, like, I mean, it just sounded like footsteps. And I said, hey, mom, there's somebody on our roof," said Hector Garcia, resident.
Garcia said he's familiar with Bobcats in the desert but never expected to see on run across his roof.
"I saw it, I said, oh, that's a cat and then when it turned sideways, I kind of like, oh no," he said. "So, and then after that, I kind of started shaking a little bit, you know, I got nervous, but, you know, it was scary."
Balin said if you see a Bobcat, you should stay calm and scare it away.
"They're going to be shy of you anyway. But if they get too close and you're uncomfortable, then, you know, just do what you can to frighten it away. Shoo it away, maybe throw a stick or a rock, or if you have a whistle or an air horn to really scare it because you don't want them getting used to humans. That's when we have serious wildlife conflict issues," she said.
