A lone bobcat was spotted on Georgia's Jekyll Island, the first of its kind known to be living on the island for more than a century, Fox News reported on Monday.
The big cat was seen on remote-sensing cameras installed to monitor the deer population. Authorities have suggested hiring shooters to dwindle down the deer population.
"They're such secretive animals, it could be this one and others have been out here for some time," said Ben Carswell, conservation director for Jekyll Island.
The bobcat in the video is likely a young male looking for territory who swam to the island or climbed the 5-mile causeway, according to researchers. It's possible that the secretive animals could have been hiding in the remote area for many years.
The last evidence of the animal on the island dates back to the early 1900's in a photograph showing bobcat pelts in the island gatekeeper's cabin. Other than that, sightings have been island lore.
"It's the first definite, confirmed documentation of a bobcat on the island ever,"Carswell said. "We have no way to be sure whether this animal showed up recently on Jekyll. They're such secretive animals, it could be this one and others have been out here for some time."
In addition to the video, researchers have located a bobcat track mark. But it's still unclear if the population will grow or not, according to UPI.
"Let's say there are actually two of them, a male and a female, then obviously we're going to get more bobcats here down the road," said David Egan, a local wildlife advocate. "But if it's a lone bobcat, it won't have much impact."
