Park City police field report of bobcat sighting in area of trail just outside Old Town

The Park City Police Department received a recent report of a bobcat sighting on or close to a trail that is just outside heavily developed Old Town.

The agency fielded the report at 12:04 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23. Public police logs place the location on the Mother Urban Trail. One end of the trail begins in the area of the Empire Avenue-Lowell Avenue switchback. The land is close to the southern and western portions of Old Town.

The police were told the animal was “aggressive,” the logs indicated. The person who contacted the police indicated “he left it alone” but did not “want other people to run into them,” the logs said.

Bobcat sightings are rare inside Park City, but they are notable since the animals can pose a risk to people and pets. The location in the Aug. 23 case is also of consequence being so close to residential streets in Old Town. The neighborhood climbs hillsides and is close to open space and the terrain at the mountain resorts.

The Police Department regularly receives wildlife reports involving moose, elk and deer, including in and around Old Town. Officers who respond to the cases typically attempt to ensure the safety of people and the animals.

The police over the course of several days, meanwhile, received several complaints about a young moose in the area of Holiday Ranch Loop Road. It was not clear from the agency’s logs whether the same animal was seen in each of the cases.

On Sunday, Aug. 25, at 12:44 p.m., a young moose was seen “by itself” in a park close to a dirt jump off Holiday Ranch Loop Road. Two days earlier, at 5:20 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23, a young moose was reported near a playground along Holiday Ranch Loop Road.

There were also reports in the same area of a young moose on Tuesday, Aug. 20, and Wednesday Aug. 21. The person who contacted the police on Aug. 21 told the agency the animal had been there several days.

On Aug. 21, meanwhile, the police at 1:17 p.m. were told of a deer in the area of Little Kate Road and Racquet Club Drive. The deer was “off to the side” and not blocking the road, the police said. It was not clear from the logs whether the report involved a living animal or a carcass.