Rare footage adds to growing reports of the endangered wildcat’s return to central New Jersey.
LEBANON, NJ – Residents in Lebanon were surprised this week when an office security camera captured a large bobcat walking up to a building’s front door early Tuesday morning. The sighting occurred around 4:00 a.m. along Route 22, near Round Valley Reservoir — a heavily wooded area that provides ideal habitat for New Jersey’s elusive native wildcat.
Key Points
- Office cameras recorded a bobcat outside a Lebanon business early Tuesday morning
- Bobcats, though endangered in New Jersey, are making a slow comeback across central regions
- Wildlife experts urge residents to keep distance and protect pets, especially near wooded areas
Rare, endangered predator reappearing in Hunterdon County
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection lists bobcats as an endangered species, with most of the state’s population historically confined to the remote forests of Sussex, Warren, Passaic, and Morris Counties. However, wildlife officials and residents say the cats are expanding their range southward, with confirmed sightings in Hunterdon County throughout 2025 and early 2026…