Possible bobcat spotted in West Islip, police say
A large wild cat, possibly a bobcat, was spotted in West Islip on Tuesday morning, according to reports from the Suffolk County Police Department and the county's SPCA.
A police spokeswoman said Third Precinct officers received a report of a possible bobcat sighting about 10:40 a.m. in the area of Boulevard Avenue. Law enforcement responded and the animal was not there, officials said.
Roy Gross, president of the Suffolk County SPCA, said Long Island has seen its share of alligators, bears and loose venomous snakes.
But he's not aware of any previous incident of a bobcat, also known as the red lynx, making its way to Long Island.
Most likely, Gross said, a Long Islander was keeping the large predator as a pet and it got loose.
"If there is a bobcat out there, certainly do use caution," Gross said. "They're generally not going to bother people, but they certainly could with small pets or children. So I would certainly take caution and ask that if they do see it to definitely call 911. And do not try to capture it yourself."
State and local officials confirmed it is illegal to own a bobcat in New York.
A photo circulating on Facebook shows an animal resembling a bobcat, and about the size of a midsize dog, in front of what appears to be a shed, and on a home's outdoor deck.
Gross said he's reported the sighting to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
DEC surveys from the late 1970s indicate that bobcats once occupied 13,500 square miles of New York in three main population centers — the Adirondacks, Catskills and Taconic regions.
But bobcats are essentially extinct in New York because there is no evidence of any remnant population of resident animals, according to DEC information.
Suffolk police advised that anyone who sees the animal call 911 or the nonemergency police number at 631-852-2677.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
