CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. – The sighting of an unidentified big cat has residents wondering what was lurking behind a Pennsylvania family's backyard over the weekend.
Nick Dodge told WNEP that he and his family are used to seeing foxes, and a nearby swamp often attracts a lot of wildlife, but not the large predator captured by surveillance cameras Saturday afternoon.
"When I first saw it, I was like, 'Wait, is that a mountain lion? No, they don't live around here.'" Dodge said.
Pennsylvania Game Commission officials say it's very unlikely it was a mountain lion. They haven't been in Pennsylvania for more than 100 years.
"It's probably a bobcat, but looks like a mountain lion ... who knows, could be a mutant," Dodge said. "Haven't seen anything like this before, so it's new."
Neighbors are now on the lookout for what the game commission believes is a large bobcat.
"I was out yesterday night and this morning with a baseball bat in case I saw something. Don't know if I'd (be) brave enough to use it," said neighbor Ann Marie Flora, who worries about her dog, Jet.
"Especially when he's wandering in the backyard, he'd be a tasty dinner or appetizer for the mountain lion or bobcat," Flora said.
Game commission officials say bobcats can be found in the area, but they are usually active at night.
