A recent viral video captured the harrowing moments as a man threw a bobcat across the front yard of his suburban home after the creature attacked his wife in their driveway.
At only 46 seconds, the short clip packed a punch. It's no surprise it already has over 12 million views on Twitter.
The appeal of the video likely draws its intensity from the relatively mundane opening seconds.
The man sauntered out to his car on a clear spring morning with a sheet of baked goods in hand.
He greeted a jogging neighbor and set his coffee mug on top of the car, before commenting aloud:
"I need to wash my car."
Thus far, all was calm and quiet.
And then, suddenly, a loud roar came out of nowhere and the woman on the other side of the car began sprinting down the driveway with a bobcat attacking her.
The man rushed around to the back of the car, only to come back into view on the lawn with the bobcat. In disbelief, he screamed, "Oh my God, it's a bobcat!" before throwing the wild animal across the lawn.
As the animal scurried away back toward the house, the man pulled a gun that was apparently hanging on his belt the entire time.
Repeatedly, he shouted "I'm gonna shoot that fu**er!"
This was a wild 46 seconds https://t.co/jIHQg0G4qU— Sada (@Sada) 1618515681.0
People online were stunned by all that went down in the video.
@Evi3Zamora Note to self: when encountering a bobcat, be sure to pick it up like a kitten then panic and scream “it… https://t.co/AN46ZKTP6H— Antisocial Butterfly: the Cynthia Rose Effect (@Antisocial Butterfly: the Cynthia Rose Effect) 1618544731.0
@Evi3Zamora Can someone tell me in what states do bobcats reside so I know to never visit— SIS (@SIS) 1618583264.0
@Evi3Zamora Sad how he flipped the switch from “Good Morning” to “I’m going to kill”. He has size adv. Pulls gun… https://t.co/OSdnitDE18— Sharyn Konyak (@Sharyn Konyak) 1618603879.0
@Evi3Zamora This is my favorite moment. Needed to commemorate its silliness https://t.co/d73wOgyY9Z— Levi (Retroinactive) (@Levi (Retroinactive)) 1618556032.0
@Evi3Zamora When the video loops back around and he says "Good Morning" like nothing ever happened https://t.co/N7JUjq0CEA— Adam Talmadge (@Adam Talmadge) 1618534182.0
As for an update, CBS' John-Carlos Estrada tweeted the bobcat was shot and discovered to be rabid.
Bobcats and Lynx are generally reclusive, timid creatures that prefer to avoid humans.
One acting aggressively in a heavily populated area is cause for concern.
🚨MORE DETAILS: According to the original uploader on TikTok, the bobcat WAS shot and they later found out it was ra… https://t.co/UWHuVQbWq6— John-Carlos Estrada (@John-Carlos Estrada) 1618582336.0
Todayreported that the incident occurred in Pender County, North Carolina. The Pender County Sheriff's Office, published a statement on Facebook following the event.
Surveillance cameras are excellent for giving people a sense of security.
And, as we seem to learn every single day while scrolling through social media feeds, those cameras are also amazing at catching some truly unusual moments that erupt out of nowhere.