Rare bobcat spotted in Will County is 2nd in last 6 months

WILL COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- Another bobcat has been photographed by a game camera in a Will County forest preserve.

This rare picture of the elusive animal is from the Sand Ridge Savanna Nature Preserve in Custer Township, which uses motion-activated cameras to document animal numbers and movements.

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This is the second bobcat sighting in Will County in a little over six months. A mother bobcat and her kittens were photographed walking through a small open area in Kankakee Sands Preserve, also in Custer Township, in late September.

"The bobcat was caught on my game camera walking alone along a game trail," said Becky Blankenship, the forest preserve's wildlife biologist. "My camera caught three pictures. I can't tell if this individual is one from the Kankakee Sands photos.

Photos of bobcats in the preserves are rare because the big cats are so elusive. Bobcats are typically active at twilight or just before sunrise.

"Bobcats can have a wide variety of home range sizes, so that won't help either," Blankenship added. "Logically, if last year's photos showed a mother with two kittens, there is a male out there somewhere too. I'd love to get more photos to help piece this wildlife story together."

You can learn more about the bobcat sightings on the Will County Forest Preserves website.