The head of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife says an amateur video of four bobcats frolicking in a suburban neighborhood shows that the state's population of the normally elusive animals is healthy.
John Roberts of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture says he spotted the four bobcats from the window of his office on Harvest Lane in Williston, just outside Burlington, mid-morning Tuesday. His agency tweeted the video.
The area is a mix of homes, small businesses and small industrial buildings.
Roberts says the area has a lot of rabbits and squirrels, traditional prey for the bobcats.
Wildlife Commissioner Louis Porter says bobcats are rarely seen, but their presence in Williston show they can live among people.
Biologists estimate there are between 2,500 and 3,000 bobcats in Vermont.
