Man Picks Up And Hurls Away Rabid Bobcat In Wild Viral Footage

A man was seen swiftly picking up and tossing away a bobcat that attacked a woman on their front driveway in a viral video shared on social media this week.

The footage, captured on a home security camera, raked in millions of views on Twitter after it was posted by user @Evi3Zamora, who told HuffPost the clip was first shared on TikTok by user @keithmgeaux, whose account was disabled for violating the platform’s policies. It was not immediately clear if the TikTok user was one of the people who appears in the video.

This was a wild 46 seconds pic.twitter.com/jIHQg0G4qU

— Sada (@Evi3Zamora) April 15, 2021

In the video, a man can be heard saying a cheerful “Good morning!” and musing aloud that he needs to wash his car. Seconds later, a loud yowl can be heard and a woman is seen running and screaming between two cars in the driveway. The man then is seen picking up a bobcat and throwing it across the lawn while yelling that he’ll “shoot” the cat.

The incident took place in Pender County, North Carolina, last week, Capt. James Rowell of the Pender County Sheriff’s Office told HuffPost. The sheriff’s office had posted on Facebook on April 12, warning locals of a bobcat that had been shot and subsequently tested positive for rabies. Rowell told HuffPost that “three citizens” in all been attacked, and that the bobcat was the same one that appears in the viral video.

Imogene Cancellare, a conservation biologist whose master’s research focused on bobcat genetics in western Texas, said the animal appeared to be a juvenile that was sitting under a car and attacked the woman’s legs.

“It’s a jarring video, and some see it as animal cruelty. I think most of us would advocate against animal cruelty, but I don’t think it’s fair to chalk this up as cruel given the animal very clearly attacked them,” she told HuffPost in an email.

Cancellare, who emailed with HuffPost before authorities had confirmed the bobcat had rabies, provided some general tips for dealing with a bobcat.

“As with many carnivores in the U.S., if one approaches you, waving your arms, yelling, throwing things, acting big, and even taking a few steps as a bluff charge can deter an approaching animal,” she wrote.

She added that in the case of a rabid animal, more action may be needed. “If the animal is sick, however, this may not be enough, as is the case with confirmed rabies attacks. In this case, getting the animal away from, or off of you, is the priority to minimize injury.”

Cancellare also noted in a widely shared Twitter thread that rabies is rare in bobcats. In most scenarios, a bobcat is “unlikely to charge a human” unless the animal feels cornered or is protecting young, she wrote.

Anyone who has been bitten by an animal that may have been rabid should receive rabies vaccinations, as rabies is nearly always fatal once it progresses to the point of showing symptoms.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.