A Florida man said he battled a bobcat when it attacked his daughter's dog over the weekend. Paul Broadhurst lives in Orlando's Stoneybrook neighborhood and was walking his dog, Koda, Saturday morning (February 11) when the wild beast attacked them. The owner wasn't having it, though.
"He was walking down the sidewalk that bobcat was just over the top of him. He no sooner got there, and I ripped him off," Broadhurst recalled. "The bobcat, he clawed into me pretty good, and I end up having to punch the bobcat in the mouth to get it off of me."
After the bold man got the bobcat on the ground, it darted into the nearby woods. Koda didn't even get a scratch on him.
"He got away lucky," Broadhurst said.
Reporters pointed out that Broadhurst lives right next to a conservation area, meaning wildlife could come into contact with people at any moment.
"When homes get built these wild areas are being taken away you’re going to see more conflict like this with wildlife. Be aware of your surroundings and know where you live," Frank Robb with EEARSS, an environmental education nonprofit, told reporters. "Be aware of your surroundings and know where you live."
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed they did get a report about the bobcat and will be investigating. Broadhurst hopes they trap the creature and relocate it away from the neighborhood before it hurts anybody.