Woman Attacked by Bobcat While Eating Lunch
A 65-year-old woman is recovering in the hospital from multiple bobcat bites and scratches to her hand, arm and neck.
The attack occured at the Alisal Guest Ranch at about 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
State Department of Fish and Wildlife officers said the woman, who works at the ranch, was eating lunch at a picnic table around the corner from the ranch entrance when she was attacked. They did not know what she was eating, but they said she tried to push the bobcat away but the animal came back. Officers said the bobcat had mange and looked emaciated.
They found the bobcat beneath a wooden bridge nearby and killed it.
Ranch guests said they heard a shot fired. They saw the dead animal and said it looked like it may have been in poor health before the incident. Some people think the drought is pushing animals out of the hills to search for food and water.
The ranch is in the 1000 block of Alisal Road just a few miles from Solvang.
Julia Di Sieno, the co-founder of the Animal Rescue Team in Santa Ynez, said she had never heard of a bobcat attacking a person in California. She said the animals usually have to be provoked and that people who come in contact should make noise and make themselves look large.
An annual fundraiser for the Animal Rescue Team will be held Friday in Solvang. For more information, go to- animalrescueteam.net
Woman Attacked by Bobcat While Eating Lunch
