Bobcat Love

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Story Behind the Photograph: Bobcat Love

This shot took place only two miles from my home in upstate NY, and for me is a wonderful reminder that grace, beauty, and the wild are all around, even close to home.

That morning I hadn’t been up long. I was drinking coffee and soaking in the warmth from the wood stove on yet another cold and snowy morning. Still in my bathrobe, I was catching up on email when the phone rang. It was my naturalist and tracker friend Steve Fast, who simply said, “Get over here. I’m near the highway department and there are 3 bobcats here feeding on a roadkill deer!”

You have never seen anyone move so fast. I was out of my bathrobe and into pants and a sweater in under a minute. I grabbed my big lens and jumped into my car. Pulling up by the highway department a few minutes later, I quickly saw them. A mama bobcat and her two kits, sitting back at some distance from the deer carcass.

It had been a hard winter with lots of snow and the last thing I wanted to do was scare them off. I wanted them to continue to feel safe feeding at the deer. I took a few record shots and then backed up so I was a good distance, even though I didn’t have a great line of sight. When they returned to the carcass to eat, I very slowly drove forward until I could see them well, turned my engine off, and began to photograph them. I was absolutely awestruck. I wanted to make sure they knew I was no threat, and I watched them carefully to see whether they would react to my presence or the sound of my camera’s shutter. They seemed cautious of me but kept feeding.

I was using a 500mm telephoto lens with a 1.4x teleconverter attached. The lens is long and attracts attention when it sticks out of a car. Every single time a car came from either direction, I quickly pulled my lens in and looked away from the bobcats. I did not want any attention whatsoever to be drawn to them. Trapping of these animals, for their pelts, is still common in this state. Many people also just see them as varmint. They are afraid of them, or they mistakenly worry these wild cats might hurt their children or pets. I wanted more than anything to make sure they were safe.

Regardless of common misconceptions, bobcats should not be candidates for fur coats or target practice; they are not vermin posing deadly threats. They have a place in our ecosystem that is valid and valuable. They lend magic to our landscapes, as well as provide ecological services--they are a great source of rodent control, as well as carrion cleaner-uppers.

I had a few opportunities to photograph this family over the course of that day and the next. I took a few hundred photos. This photo, of one of the kits nuzzling her mother, was my absolute favorite. It revealed that these creatures have familial bonds. They can express affection, and tenderness. I felt so privileged to have this intimate look into their lives, and to be able to document this relationship. I saw it as both a gift and a duty to use these photos to awaken others to the truth about these animals. I will be forever grateful for this sudden surprise on a snowy Saturday morning.

About Untamed Photographer

Untamed Photographer is an online art gallery that brings together wildlife photography and stories from a range of international environmental artists, both emerging and established.

Structured as an online marketplace, Untamed Photographer offers a selection of handpicked, limited-edition works of art, alongside the photographers’ compelling stories of what occurred in the wild to get the shot. The exclusive limited-edition pieces are printed in Miami and come with an artist-signed certificate of authenticity from their respective worldwide locations.

The Nature Trust of the Americas (NTOTA) was founded with the mission to give back. While building awareness for NTOTA’s causes, the founders met talented nature photographers who are passionate not only about photography, but also about saving the planet. Their life’s work and stories are inspiring, and their art, passion and stories deserve to be shared on a platform that benefits the environmental causes they are dedicated to.

Just as the photographers preserve the beauty of the planet in their art, Untamed Photographer is dedicated to preserving the planet for the future. All profits from photographs go to Untamed Photographer's two pillars: the artists and causes that protect the environment, ecosystems, and wildlife.

About the Photographer: Melissa Groo

Melissa Groo is a wildlife photographer, writer, and conservationist with a passion for educating people about the marvels of the natural world. She believes that photography can be both fine art and a powerful vehicle for storytelling, and considers herself a “wildlife biographer” as much as a wildlife photographer. It is her mission to raise awareness and change minds about not only the extrinsic beauty of animals, but also their intrinsic worth.

Melissa is an Associate Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers. She writes a bimonthly column on wildlife photography for Outdoor Photographer magazine, is a contributing editor to Audubon magazine, and advises National Audubon Society on photography content and ethics in bird photography.

In 2017, Melissa was awarded the Katie O'Brien Lifetime Achievement Award by Audubon Connecticut, for demonstrating exceptional leadership and commitment to the conservation of birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. She also received NANPA's Vision Award, given to a photographer every 2 years in recognition of early career excellence, vision and inspiration to others in nature photography, conservation, and education.

In 2020, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology released "Bird Photography with Melissa Groo," an online masterclass in beginning bird photography. It comprises almost 40 videos featuring her instruction.

Melissa's association with the Lab goes back to when she worked in the Bioacoustics Research Department from 2000-2005 on elephant communication. She was a research assistant for scientist Katy Payne on The Elephant Listening Project, and spent field seasons in the rainforest of central Africa studying forest elephants in the wild, where she learned to listen deeply and watch closely.

Her photographs and articles have been published in numerous magazines including Smithsonian, Audubon, Outdoor Photographer, National Wildlife, Living Bird, and Natural History. Melissa has received awards and honorable mentions in national and international photography competitions. Her fine art prints are in personal and corporate collections, and have been exhibited in numerous private galleries as well as a number of public venues, including the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.