Police Kill Bobcat in Summerlin Neighborhood

Oct 27, 2007 12:58 AM EDT

As the areas around Las Vegas continue to spread out into the desert, more and more wildlife is finding its way into neighborhoods. This week three bobcats had to be removed from homes and an elementary school.

Eyewitness News talked with neighbors who say they’re glad the danger is gone but wished it would have ended differently.

The bobcat roamed a Summerlin neighborhood for about four hours Friday jumping in and out of people’s backyards. Many were happy when Metro came to remove the animal, but their relief was quickly quieted by three gunshots.

It was like any neighborhood crime scene, only this time the line between victim and murder was blurred.

Jeff Wilson, a neighbor, said, "It ripped open their bird cages and killed their birds, so at that point I figured that it was a dangerous, or hungry animal."

"I’m just surprised that I see a bobcat around here," said Sam Melendez, who also lives in the neighborhood.

Walking along a fence, the cat seemed to be searching backyards prompting people to grab their pets and their young children.

Jeff continued, "It was about 15 feet from her when I had seen it and I was thinking wow that is a really big house cat until I saw the bob tail."

When police arrived the cat had gone into a backyard where the owner says it was hiding in a bush.

Sam added, "He must have been pretty hungry to come down from the hills."

Melendez stayed inside with his small dog, as officers surround the bobcat. "Cornered the bobcat over there and they shot him, I heard three times," he said.

The neighborhood was happy the threat was over but they never expected their call for help would end the cat’s life.

"It was kind of sad to see it but I kind of wish they would have relocated it. But that is how it goes. It’s better, I guess, than it killing someone’s dog or hurting a child," Wilson said.

Neighbors say the cat seemed to only be looking for food and just went after the three small birds.

In the two previous cases of bobcat sightings, the cats were either never caught only tazed.

By: Amanda Hernandez ahernandez@klastv.com

http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7273606