The Bloody Morning Report

Sometimes the NPS Morning Report has some interesting tidbits about life in the Park Service that are worth posting about. But most of the time the report contains the sorry tales of those who met their fate in the Parks. This is why my friend calls it the "Death & Dying Report". Check out these incidents from just this last week for example:

Golden Gate National Recreation Area

• Jan. 26, 2006 - Surfing Fatality

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

• Jan. 26, 2006 - Body of Suicide Victim Recovered from River

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

• Jan. 27, 2006 - Three Arrested for Homicide in Park

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

• Jan. 31, 2006 - Suicide from Interstate Bridge

Haleakala National Park

• Feb. 1, 2006 - Visitor Killed by Falling Boulder

Big Bend National Park

• Feb. 2, 2006 - Suicide at Backcountry Campsite

These are not the type of stories that I usually care to pass along on this website, the news is just too sad and not reflective of the more interesting news going on in the parks. But, today there was an incident that I thought WAS interesting enough to share. This incident occurred yesterday in Big Bend National Park. A woman was attacked by a Bobcat! Here is a few details from the report:

(The woman) had just gotten out of the hot springs pool when the bobcat leapt towards her, sinking its teeth into her left arm and wrapping both front legs around her torso. The woman was able to shake the cat loose and it fell into the pool. The cat then got out of the pool, walked a short distance away, defecated and departed. About half a dozen visitors were in the area when the attack occurred. One visitor who was approaching the hot springs on the trail saw the cat about 50 feet away, loping towards the visitors in the spring. He said that the cat broke into a run when it was about ten feet from the woman, then jumped on her.

She suffered deep puncture wounds and some scratches, but is otherwise OK. Park officials closed the area to visitors and started a search for the cat. Amazing, huh? I have only had a glimpse of a wild cat in the parks. To be attacked by one is pretty rare I'd imagine. I'm glad that lady didn't get hurt too bad. She's now got one amazing story to tell.