Bobcat found in car grill comes amid growing number of NC wildlife-related incidents

LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. (WJZY) — It’s not something you see every day. Lincoln County first responders were called to an Alexis home about a bobcat being stuck in their Toyota Scion grill.

“It’s very rare to get a bobcat call, let alone the bobcat still be on scene,” said Carolina Wildlife Conservation Center Executive Director Morgan Rafael. She says bobcats are not only native to North Carolina, they’re also native to that specific area. 

“They’re elusive,” she added. 

“Apparently he had jumped out of a tree, probably, he saw a prey item on the other side of the road, and the car was going about 50 miles per hour. And he was struck, and he probably rolled and ended up somehow getting up into the engine compartment, where he was trapped,” Rafael said. 

Rafael says the driver only noticed the bobcat when they got home. Wildlife officials arrived in Alexis and took the bobcat back to the center for treatment.

She says the animal was in severe pain and suffering. 

“This bobcat got hit by a 50-mile-per-hour vehicle. And while there was no blood on the scene, X-rays revealed a completely shattered humerus that not even a certified orthopedic surgeon could have fixed. It was in so many pieces,” she said. “Our mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and release wild animals. This animal was suffering. He was in a lot of pain. Our mission is to re-release wildlife back into the wild where they belong. We have a duty to make the best decisions for these animals, so the best decision for him was to end his suffering.”

Rafael believes people living in previously rural areas with new home and business construction will see more wildlife. The center receives more than 50 calls a day about animals in the Charlotte area.

She says calls regarding fawns have gone up 300 percent.

“This links back to the big piece of land that’s being deforested around there, probably pushing the bobcat into a more urban area, which caused this accident,” Rafael continued. 

The state has spent about $1.3 million a year on the state’s wildlife action plan since 2005, working to save as much wildlife and natural habitats as possible. North Carolina State University extension workers say rapid growth is literally cutting into where wild animals live.

In 2022, there were 10.7 million people, causing a drastic loss in wildlife habitat across the region.

“We see the impacts of deforestation and urbanization every single day in our wildlife patients. About 63 percent of our animals come directly from human impact. And the animals are just suffering,” she said. 

She’s encouraging people across the area to be aware of their surroundings, but not to fear the wildlife. She says it’s better to respect them.

“Know the boundaries, know how to stay safe and coexist with them because we’re never going to get rid of them and they’re just trying to survive,” she explained.