Big cat visits Weston backyard

Wausau Daily Herald • June 16, 2010

WESTON — A Weston woman isn’t entirely sure what she saw last night in her backyard, but she knows it wasn’t any ordinary cat.

Marena Groll, 52, told the Wausau Daily Herald today that she heard what sounded like a cat fight at about 10 p.m. at her home on Lang Lane. When she went outside to investigate, a house cat ran toward a neighbor’s house and a large cat-like animal come out of a wooded area, Groll said. The animal then ran back into the woods after briefly stepping into a lighted area, she said.

Groll described the animal as being about 5-feet long, tan in color with a white underbelly and a long tail. Gross said she did not see the animal’s head clearly in the poor lighting.

Groll said she initially thought the animal was a cougar. After talking with a Department of Natural Resources biologist, Groll said she was more convinced that the animal was a bobcat.

Groll said she was concerned for the safety of the children in the neighborhood and pets.

“It’s an animal behaving very aggressively and we need to be aware of it,” Groll said.

Adrian Wydeven, a cougar expert for the DNR, said the animal sounded like it was a bobcat based on Groll’s description.

“It’s possible, I can’t dismiss it,” Wydeven said when asked if the animal could have been a cougar.

http://www.stevenspointjournal.com/article/20100616/WDH0101/100616068/Big-cat-visits-Weston-backyard