‘Real Chill' Bobcat ‘Doing Bobcat Stuff' in Lake Murray

The wild cat was spotted on Nov. 8 at around 12 p.m. near the end of Lake Murray Path, West

In typical feline fashion, humans were in awe and took photos, while the cat just tried to sleep.

Dan Plale, a senior aerospace engineer at Naval Air Station North Island and hobbyist photographer, was on his weekly trek through Lake Murray when he spotted a bobcat – in his words – “just chilling out and doing bobcat stuff.”

The wild cat was spotted on Nov. 8 at around 12 p.m. near the end of Lake Murray Path, West, Plale said.

Park rangers were in the area, keeping hikers at least 50 feet away from the bobcat. Plale told NBC 7 they were, “Letting the cat do what cats do.”

The engineer, who’s taken photographs for 30 years but only recently took it up as a hobby, said the bobcat wasn’t too bothered by the hordes of human fans and was “more interested in being a cat.”

“It was real chill,” he said. “The cat was definitely not interested in the folks watching it, more interested in the birds.”

It was the first time Plale had seen a bobcat on his nature walks.

Hikers Gaze as Bobcat Wanders Lake Murray Trails

“A whole new experience. I’ve never seen a bobcat out here,” Plale told NBC 7. “Everyone was just completely shocked.”

Plale said he used a “regular ol’ Costco Nikon with a decent lens on it,” to capture the wild cat.

After spending an hour taking pictures, Plale nicknamed the bobcat “Bob.” “However, it might be Roberta,” he added.

Bobcats are typically between 2 to 3 feet long, according to the San Diego Zoo.

“Probably the size of a Collie dog, not quite a German Shepard, but bigger than a Cocker Spaniel,” Plale said.

Plale returned to Lake Murray a few days later to check on his new friend, and he told NBC 7 another hiker has seen the bobcat still doing “bobcat stuff.”

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