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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Nancy Hill: Rescuing a bobcat from a freeway overpass is all in a day’s work

Longtime SCRAPS director Nancy Hill says one of the highlights of her career was helping rescue a bobcat from a freeway overpass. (FILE / The Spokesman-Review)
Nancy Hill,guest columnist

I stumbled into a career in animal welfare in the 1980s after being laid off from the U. S. Forest Service.

Back in the day, newly hired animal control officers were literally handed a leash, a uniform, a copy of the animal laws and keys to the truck. With map in one hand and dog biscuits in the other I found my way through the maze of animal control, working for what was then called Spokane County Animal Control and is now Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service, or SCRAPS.

The job of animal control officer is part neighborhood counselor, part law enforcement officer, veterinarian, adventurer and keeper of the peace. Then throw animals into the mix, many of which bark, bite, run and, generally, are mischievous. Applying the law and common sense to the resulting scenarios is a skill that develops over time. Keeping everyone happy, or at least not angry, is a whole other task. And staying safe – well, every adventure comes with at least some risk.

One of the highlights of my career as an officer was capturing a bobcat in the Spokane Valley. Our dispatch received a call of a bobcat on the Interstate 90 overpass at Sullivan Road. I was at the shelter and the closest officer so I took the call – I actually thought it was a prank call but responded anyway. Heading south on Sullivan going over I-90 I noticed a jogger, but no bobcat. I went down the road, turned around and came back over the interstate headed north. As I looked across the lanes of traffic, I noticed a set of very pointed ears sticking up – about where I’d seen the jogger a few minutes before. I quickly made a U-turn, parked on the approach to the overpass and looked closely – it was definitely a bobcat.

A wild animal in a heavily trafficked area definitely requires a strong “plan A.” I called for other animal control officers, a zookeeper from the then-Walk in the Wild Zoo, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department, Spokane Valley Fire Department and the Washington State Patrol.

The first step was blocking off public access to the sidewalk going over I-90 so that no one would get hurt. The bobcat was sitting on the concrete block wall where the handrail was attached. It was frozen with fear and not moving. I suspect it had been flushed out of the Spokane River corridor by some construction nearby.

Once the response team arrived I laid out my plan. I will say that everyone was skeptical but nobody had a better idea.

The plan:

  • Zookeeper comes from the south on the sidewalk holding a net with a 15-foot handle;
  • I come from the north with my net, which had a 3-foot handle (yes, I said a 3-foot handle, which is all I had at the time);
  • Two other animal control officers follow me with a portable cage, blanket and catch pole;
  • The Sheriff’s Department closes southbound Sullivan and redirects all traffic onto I-90;
  • The Washington State Patrol closes I-90 underneath the overpass;
  • The Spokane Valley Fire Department goes onto I-90 (which is now empty under overpass) and holds a big tarp to catch the bobcat if it falls.

The key to this plan was the zookeeper, who had to walk toward the bobcat with the net and draw just enough attention that the bobcat did not notice me coming from the other direction. I approached the cat with my net hanging over the I-90 side of handrail in order to keep it from falling.

Plan A worked – the bobcat focused on the zookeeper with the long net, saw me at the last minute and stepped back, but my net was there to catch it and keep it from falling onto the interstate. We quickly sandwiched our nets, got the catch pole on the cat, placed it in the cage and covered it with a blanket. I believe the execution of the plan took less than 5 minutes.

Later, the bobcat was checked out by a local veterinarian and then relocated to the Mt. Spokane area. I still smile when I think of that day.

Today the animal control officer is an animal protection officer, and instead of the dog pound we have a regional animal shelter. I stopped working in the field after 10 years, when I was promoted to regional director.

Adventurous careers are not for everyone and neither is public service, but my career has been a great fit for me. I love having the opportunity every day to make a difference in the lives of people and their pets, whether that’s saving an animal from an abusive situation, getting a lost pet back to its owner, or rescuing an animal from a dangerous situation. Most of us need to work and some of us even love to work, but loving your work – it doesn’t get any better than that.

Nancy Hill joined Spokane County’s animal control program in 1986 and was promoted to director in 1995.