Arroyo de la Caña. A small, gray-tan bobcat caught by its hind leg in a “legal” trap. Not much bigger than a house cat. It growled at us in a singsong. We came as close as we dared. One of us—not wise to the strength and wildness of bobcats—wanted to throw a coat over it and try to release it, in spite of its broken leg.
As we hiked away a fierce-faced, bearded man drove up in a big pickup. Bobcat skulls, and probably skins, bring a price. I’m not sure how much, but New Mexico is very poor.
WORLD-BUILDING and WILDERNESS: 
Thanks so much for bringing the wild to us.
This is a sad but realistic story.
G
What a shame. Bobcats are such a contributor to Nature’s balance. They devour rodents. They’re also very bold. They often come near our house in the mountains at night and in daylight. I’ve seen one 30 feet from the front door and my dog Oliver treed one along our driveway. I stood face to face with one along a river path in south San Jose for about 10 minutes. We just watched each other, he unblinking, both of us immobile. Finally I broke it off to finish my walk and when I came past 15 minutes later he had vanished.
Hi, Fred!
Re bobcat trapping, I winced when I went into the Bone Room shop in Berkeley (or Albany? I forget.) Many bobcat skulls.
B