Iowa Woman Encounters Growling Bobcat On Bike Trail [WATCH]

Most bobcats in the state of Iowa might be considered secretive, but an Iowa woman got a big surprise Sunday while walking her dog on a bike trail. A bobcat came out of the tall grass next to her and walked right up onto the trail. She grabbed her dog and began to back away. After taking a few steps back, she shot a video. She was still close enough to the bobcat that you can hear its growl.

The woman who posted the video says she was walking her small dog Ruby at the time.

While Rachel Port was convinced the bobcat was interested in her dog for a meal, that's likely not the case. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the diet of a bobcat consists almost entirely of squirrels, mice, rabbits, and voles.

While probably not a threat to Port or her dog, you can certainly understand her surprise, especially considering she was on a trail across the street from Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines. You can watch the video below.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the West Des Moines Police Department put up an online post about the bobcat:

Bobcats were listed as an endangered species in Iowa in 1977. They moved to the threatened and then the protected list in the early 2000s. There is now a bobcat hunting season in Iowa. It begins on November 5 and continues through January 31, 2023. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says, "Hunters and trappers must have a fur harvester license and pay the habitat fee to harvest bobcats, if normally required to have them to trap. A regular Hunting License will not be adequate."