Bobcats cause lockdown at Phoenix-area high school

PHOENIX — A Phoenix-area high school was put on lockdown on Monday while authorities dealt with a family of bobcats on the campus.

The Deer Valley Unified School District said Arizona Game and Fish Department workers were called in to rescue several of the bobcat kittens.

“We have wildlife officers on scene and we are attempting to relocate the kittens to a better part of the campus where the students won’t be,” Amy Burnett, a spokeswoman for the agency, said.

The four animals fell into a drainpipe near the cafeteria at Boulder Creek High School located near Interstate 17 and Daisy Mountain Road in Anthem.

Two bobcat cubs have been safely captured today to be reunited with their mama. We still have a trap set up in the drainage area in case there are any more stragglers! Thank you Arizona Game & Fish and MCSO for all of the help! @DVUSD @azgfd @PaulPenzone pic.twitter.com/52bbNuaJg6

— Boulder Creek High (@BCHS_DVUSD) January 9, 2018

The mother bobcat was tranquilized while officials moved the kittens. She was taken to Southwest Wildlife to recover and should be released soon.

The lockdown at the school was lifted by noon.

Burnett said someone at the school notified authorities about the animals. She said there was likely no threat to students and the kittens were being moved for their own safety.

“This is not a situation where we feel students would be attacked, but because it’s highly visible and students are around, it’s almost a situation of protecting the animals from the people who are looking and potentially interacting with them,” she said.

Burnett also said the incident was a reminder that people should leave wild animals alone, as they can fend for themselves.

KTAR News’ Ali Vetnar and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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