Start Seeing Bobcats: Illinois' Population Of Them Is Growing

Hot on the heels of a story earlier this week involving an Illinois mountain lion being struck and killed by a vehicle last Sunday in Dekalb County, we get the reassuring news that Illinois' bobcat population is adding new members constantly.

Bobcats, and their expanding populations have been a fairly hot topic since last year's incident in a North Carolina family's driveway when a rabid bobcat attacked a couple while they tried to get into their car to go to work.

The question "are there bobcats near my location" has been getting asked a lot on Google since that time, and many times the answer has been yes.

If you don't recall the incident I'm talking about, watch this:

"I'd like to apologize for my fellow bobcat's behavior." (Getty Images)

Even Though Illinois' Bobcat Numbers Are On The Rise, Experts Say The Chances Of You Having To Body Slam A Rabid Bobcat In Your Driveway Are Slim

To be on the safe side, you might wish to remember that guy's body slam technique...just in case.

The Illinois Bobcat Foundation says that the American bobcat, which is the only native wild cat in Illinois, was once listed as a threatened species. It was first protected in 1972, but the designation was removed in 1999. After being removed from the protected list, bobcat hunting/trapping legislation allowed the first season in over 40 years to begin in 2016.

Mom, I'm trying to attack someone! Stop holding me back! (Getty Images)

So, as you might imagine, the bobcat population here in Illinois is on the rise. We have 102 counties here in Illinois, and the Illinois Bobcat Foundation estimates that there are over 5,000 bobcats roaming about in 99 of those counties.

Over the last 3 years, there have been multiple sightings throughout the Chicago suburbs and Southern Wisconsin, so I've got to figure that at least one of us in the Rockford area is going to have a "is that a bobcat?" moment at some point in the near future.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

LOOK: Stunning animal photos from around the world

From grazing Tibetan antelope to migrating monarch butterflies, these 50 photos of wildlife around the world capture the staggering grace of the animal kingdom. The forthcoming gallery runs sequentially from air to land to water, and focuses on birds, land mammals, aquatic life, and insects as they work in pairs or groups, or sometimes all on their own.