On Sunday June 24, 2018 at approximately 7:15 a.m., the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a bobcat attack which had just occurred near the intersection of Della and Barnett Street in Bisbee.
The Sheriff’s Office and USDA personnel responded to the area and were not able to locate the animal. They were able to contact the victim, a Bisbee resident, who said that he was taking his dog for a walk this morning in the area of Della and Barnett when he saw a bobcat in the brush.
The man reported that he saw the bobcat start running towards him and he let his dog go and shouted for him to go home.
The man said that the bobcat did not go after the dog, but continued towards him before lunging and tearing at his left arm.
The wife of the victim saw the dog come home and immediately got into her car to locate her husband.
The man reported that the bobcat continued the attack and did not run off until his wife honked her horn.
The man was taken to the Copper Queen hospital where he was treated for significant damage to his left forearm, left bicep, and left arm. The man has since been released from the hospital pending additional medical treatment.
USDA personnel are working closely with Arizona Game and Fish in the area in an attempt to locate the animal who attacked the Bisbee resident. USDA is advising that this behavior is significantly atypical of bobcats and they want to advise residents in the immediate area to use caution until the animal is located.