PORTLAND, Ore. — Wildlife experts say you might be finding some interesting wildlife in your yards these days and they actually want you to document it.
Over the weekend, Astrid Kurniawan took her dog Riley to her parents' house in the Bethany neighborhood. She let her out in the backyard to play. A few minutes later she heard some unusual barking.
Kuriawan's husband went outside to see what was going on and saw their dog facing off with a bobcat.
"My husband walked outside and saw that there was a bobcat and he screamed," Kuriawan said. "He, in his quick thinking and everything, he literally just scooped up our dog right up."
Riley suffered only some small cuts and scratches.
Witnesses said the bobcat had a cub with her and probably got a little protective.
Wildlife experts say while finding a wild animal in your backyard might be a bit surprising, it's actually not all that unusual.
"Portland has amazing wildlife so the sightings people are reporting are really, really fascinating," said Bob Sallinger, conservation director at Portland Audubon.
Sallinger said with people sheltering at home these days, wild animals are wandering into areas they might not normally go.
At the same time, humans are spending more time walking their neighborhoods or hanging out in their yards.
So the organization is taking advantage of the two and launching the Backyard Bio Blitz.
"We're not asking folks to go out to natural areas or travel anywhere," Sallinger said. "What we really want to hear is what you're seeing ... around your house."
Then you go online to the Portland Audubon website every Tuesday. Report what you find. Check a few boxes. And you too can be a wildlife researcher.
Because the more you look, the more you'll find, even in your very own backyard.