SIGHTINGS: Nebraska - "a report of a bobcat or mountain lion"

No big cat found after woman says she saw one cross 11th Street
Kearney Hub
KEARNEY — Buffalo County deputy sheriffs responded to a report of a bobcat or mountain lion was seen in southwest Kearney this morning. About 8:45 a.m., a woman called the 911 communications center reporting she had seen what she believed was a ...

This news report from Nebraska is quite an interesting one. According to a list of the mammals of Nebraska prepared by The Mammal Society the following felids are found in the state:

Mountain lion, Felis concolor, extirpated, (Possible)

Lynx, Lynx lynx, uncommon, prefers boreal and montane forests, but disperse onto plains during high population irruptions

Bobcat, Lynx rufus, uncommon, statewide, most abundant in areas with broken terrain which provides cover

The note reading 'possible' suggests that this sighting is not the only one in recent times, although the fact that the description is so vague it could be either "a report of a bobcat or mountain lion" is not encouraging. It is also interesting that no-one speculated that it could have been a lynx...