New Brunswick Trapper Captures What’s Believed to be Only the Second Black Bobcat in Canadian History
OutdoorHub Reporters 01.04.17
Canadian trapper Oswald McFadden has been trapping his whole life. For 10 years now, he has set his traps along the same trapline near Cocagne, New Brunswick, Canada. But on Christmas Day, he captured something he had never seen before.
When McFadden went to check his traps that day, he was shocked to find a very rare animal caught in his snare: a black bobcat.
“I thought it was a house cat,” said McFadden. “When I saw the tail I knew it wasn’t a house cat. Then I looked at the ears, I knew it was definitely a bobcat.”
Many animals can have varying melanistic traits. Melanism is a development of the dark-colored pigment melanin in the skin or its appendages. It is often observed in squirrels, jaguars, and everyday house cats, but it is extremely rare in bobcats.
It sounds like McFadden is still deciding what to do with his rare find. He’s debating whether to donate it to a museum, sell it, or just have it mounted for himself. It’s a tough choice to make, but it would definitely make a really cool mount in his house!
