Bobcats are shy, elusive and almost always see you before you see them — until they get stuck in a building on the Veterans Affairs campus on South 70th Street.
Then they have to be trapped using raw fish and released in the wild outside of town.
Biologists from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission were called by VA staff Tuesday about a bobcat that had wandered into one of its buildings. They set the cage trap and waited.
Wednesday morning, they received another call: The cat was in the trap.
The animal was about 20 pounds and seemed to be in good condition, said Sam Wilson, the commission’s carnivore program manager. Game and Parks staff didn’t examine it thoroughly — so they don’t know if it was male or female — before releasing it in a wildlife management area.
People are also reading…
The animals are common throughout the state and are typically found at the edge of Lincoln, but sometimes they come inside city limits if the habitat is good.
“They’re common, but they’re rarely seen,†he said. “They often see people and hide.â€
Backyard critters found in Lincoln
Photos, videos: Critters in the streets and yards of Lincoln
WATCH: Coyote in driveway on South 57th in Lincoln
Coyote in trash
Deer
Deer at Holmes Lake Park
Wildlife near 76th and Van Dorn
Plains leopard frog
Plains leopard frog
Baby owl and wood ducks
Baby owl and wood ducks
Turtle on South 86th Street
Turtle on South 86th Street
Coyote off Sawgrass Drive
Coyote off Sawgrass Drive
Wilson's phalarope (female)
Wilson's phalarope (female) at Oak Lake on April 27.
Ducks on Rancho Road
Ducks on Rancho Road
Coyote
Coyote at Phares Park Monday, April 27.
Woodchuck
South First and J streets on March 30.
Political ducks?
"On a walk yesterday evening, my wife and I spotted these two ducks at 16th and J, just east of the State Capitol. We weren’t certain if they were lost or merely wanted to visit the Capitol building," Bill Davenport said.
Pioneers Park ducks
Duckling at Pioneers Park.
Golf wildlife
On the No. 1 fairway at The Highlands on Sunday, April 26.
Upton Grey Lane and Thompson Creek
Upton Grey Lane and Thompson Creek
Ducks in yard
Ducks in yard at 35th and C. "We got a duck egg laid in our yard," Beth Haase said.
WATCH: Baby fox on Yankee Hill Road near 27th
Turkey time
Turkeys at the corner of Old Cheney and Frontier Road on Saturday, April 25, 2020.
Heron on Bowling Lake
Heron on Bowling Lake
White moth on Runza drive-thru on West O in May 2019
White moth on Runza drive-thru on West O in May 2019
Fox
A reader said this fox at 3910 is a Husker fan.
Coyote
This coyote was spotted near 77th and Van Dorn streets in November by Peggy Stark.
Bobcat
This bobcat was found in the Lincoln VA building.
Deer next to O Street
A yearling deer at First and O.Â
Pair of Cooper's Hawks
Cooper's Hawks birds recently took to spending time in a central Lincoln backyard.
Fox
Mother and kit fox are living in a backyard near 27th and Sheridan. Â
Watch: Fox plays in the snow
Fox
A fox living on an acreage near Lincoln.
Opossum
Opossum
Raccoons sharing a meal
Raccoons sharing a meal
Fox catches squirrel at capitol
Video: Red fox in Lincoln
Armadillo in Lincoln
Lincoln police spotted an armadillo running downtown near 13th and O streets early Tuesday.
Snake on deck
15th and South area.
Robin's eggs
Robin's eggs in the 15th and South area.
Monarch caterpillar on milkweed
Monarch caterpillar on milkweed.
Young opossum hiding in a clay tile
Young opossum hiding in a clay tile.
Goslings
LINCOLN, NE - 05/10/2018 - A dozen Canada geese goslings go for cruise around a pond with their parents on warm spring day on Thursday, May 10, 2018, at Pioneers Park. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Geese
A pair of goslings flap their developing wings as they munch on grass with their siblings and parents on 80-plus-degree day on Thursday on the banks of a pond at Pioneers Park.
Snake
The snake at Oak Lake Park dog run can be seen in this photo.
Ducks
Ducks nesting in a Lincoln backyard.
Coyote
Lincoln Animal Control received several photos of coyotes near Holmes Park, including this one spotted about a month ago near 6100 Normal Blvd.Â
Backyard critter
An opossum on the deck.
Pelicans
Pelicans can be seen at Capitol Beach Lake.
Turkey
A wild turkey at 30th and Sherman
Video: Coyote playing with dog
Leftovers
Big Red Worms is offering a chance for Lincolnites to compost their decaying pumpkins.
Lincoln-area wildlife
Deer
A whitetail deer found himself on the course along the west fence at the Country Club of Lincoln on May 12, 2016. The male is starting to lose his gray/brown winter coat.
Foxes
Five fox kits follow the lead of an adult fox and stay alert for danger in east Lincoln.
Turkeys
Turkeys out taking a walk near Sheridan Boulevard.
Grasshoppers
Grasshoppers on a fence.
Critter
Backyard spider in web.
Squirrel
A squirrel at Pioneers Park.
Raccoon
A raccoon on an acreage near Wahoo.
Critters
Critters
Critters
Critters
A paper monarch at the Sunken Gardens
Critters
A dragonfly at the Sunken Gardens.
Critters
A garden spider weaves a wondrous web in the backyard.
Butterfly
A painted lady butterfly alights on a white zinnia Tuesday.
Dragonfly
A dragonfly at the Sunken Gardens.
Deer in Yard
A doe found a comfy place to rest in June 2015 in the backyard of a house on the 1800 block of D Street.
Bald Eagle at Branched Oak Lake
Freelance photographer Gary Schenaman says he walked about a half-mile through snow and brush to set up a ground blind at Branched Oak Lake in mid-February, then waited about four hours for a collection of bald eagles to arrive. Lincoln Children’s Zoo President & CEO John Chapo said the bald eagle in the photo is an adult, noting that its head is white in plumage. “Immature birds do not have the complete white head,†Chapo noted.
Schenaman reports having observed between 40 and 50 eagles at the lake.
Baby Owls in Tree
A group of four young Eastern screech owls huddle in a tree under the watchful eye of a nearby parent on July 1, 2014, at Dean and Emily Kline's house in northeast Lincoln. Ellie Kline, 4, the Kline's granddaughter, spotted the owls and promptly woke up her grandpa to tell him the news.
County Fair Chicken
LINCOLN, NEB - 08/27/2014 - One of 9-year-old Evan Merrell's Black Orpington chickens in it's backyard pen on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014. DAN LITTLE/Lincoln Journal Star
Sunken Gardens
Salvia Mystic Spires is a deer-resistant perennial, but attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies and pollinators like this bumblebee, which paid a visit Wednesday at the Sunken Gardens.
Red-tailed hawk
Lincoln Memorial Park red-tailed hawk.
Birds of winter
A Cardinal and two gold finches wait for a warmer spring day in Pioneers Park on Monday.
Turkey
A wild turkey steps through a child's sandbox as it grazes through a yard near 53rd and "J" Streets, on Tuesday, Jan 14, 2014, in an area where it has been spotted frequently in the mornings and evenings in recent weeks. Turkeys were wiped out in the state of Nebraska by about 1915, according to the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, but were successfully reintroduced to the state beginning in 1959. Some of the birds seem to have found that citys offer a favorable ratio of food to predators. ERIC GREGORY/Lincoln Journal Star
"And they're off"
Leaving a wake of temporary water divots behind them, a pair of water fowl skim across the surface of Holmes Lake to join a group of fellow water birds who were feeding in a cove Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013, at Holmes Lake Park.
Baby robins
Lincoln, NE - 7/8/2013 - Baby robins clamor for food in their oak tree nest on Monday, July 8, 2013, in the 40th and A Neighborhood. GWYNETH ROBERTS/Lincoln Journal Star
Audubon Tour bird and peanuts
A blue jay picks up peanuts in the Eastridge backyard June 4, 2013.
Rabbit
A rabbit, enjoying some peace and quiet on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. The university canceled classes because of the snowstorm.
Urban deer sighting
A deer was spotted roaming at Ryons Street and Sheridan Boulevard in Lincoln in 2010.
Pelican
A pelican flaps its wings at Capitol Beach in Lincoln on Wednesday morning, Nov. 30, 2011. One Capitol Beach resident is worried about the bird's health, and the Wildlife Rescue Team is working on a plan to help. (FRANCIS GARDLER/Lincoln Journal Star)
Robins
It's true, the early bird does get the worm! This robin pecked around the grass around 10:42 a.m. to find a juicy morning snack at Holmes Lake Park on Tuesday morning, April 5, 2011. Warmer weather returned to the Lincoln area after Monday's chilly, windy gusts. (FRANCIS GARDLER / Lincoln Journal Star)
Brown-headed nuthatch
A pair of Brown-headed Nuthatches, a rarity for Nebraska, were spotted during the annual Christmas Bird Count in Lincoln. (Courtesy photo)
Foxes in backyard
Backyard foxes at 27th and Lake in Lincoln.
Mourning doves
27th and Lake
Watch Now: Northeast Lincoln visitor
Coopers Hawk backyard 27th and Lake
Coopers Hawk backyard 27th and Lake
Vultures on William Street
Vultures on William Street.
Coyote
A coyote in front of a building on North Cotner.
Hummingbird
Hummingbird near 27th and Lake streets. It's taken control of the feeder and chases away other hummingbirds that try to feed.
Damselfly
Damselfly near 27th and Lake
Sleeping red fox
Sleeping red fox near 27th and Lake streets.
Red-bellied woodpecker
A red-bellied woodpecker that started hollowing out a home in a tree in December 2021 near 27th and Lake.
Squirrel
Harvesting crabapples from a tree near 27th and Lake.
Fox at 8th and E in Lincoln
Fox at Capitol Beach Lake
A fox at Capitol Beach Lake.
Deer
A deer crosses the street at 2nd and F in Lincoln.
Opossum
This opussum was feasting on crab apples in a Lincoln tree in December 2022 near 27th and Lake streets.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7254 or psalter@journalstar.com.
On Twitter .
Peter Salter
General assignment reporter
