Reward offered for info in killing of Tucson research bobcat

State wildlife officials are offering a $1,150 reward for information leading to an arrest in the killing of a bobcat wearing a tracking collar on the west side of Tucson late last month.

The adult female cat, nicknamed Sadie by researchers, was found shot to death on Sept. 28 between North Whispering Bell Drive and North Painted Hills Road, near North Ironwood Hill Drive, after its tracking collar sent out a mortality signal.

The animal is believed to have died that morning sometime between 5 a.m. and 8:44 a.m., when game officials said shots were heard in the area.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department announced the reward on Saturday through its Operation Game Thief program.

Investigators have identified a person of interest, but they are seeking additional information.

Sadie was part of the Bobcats in Tucson Research Project, which has placed tracking collars on 25 bobcats since 2020 to study how the animals live along the urban fringes of the city.

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The cat weighed less than 15 pounds when she received her collar after being trapped in January.

Biologist Cheryl Mollohan, who is leading the study, said “a group of Sadie followers from that neighborhood” asked Game and Fish to offer a reward after the cat turned up dead.

Researchers said Sadie was “a very valuable part” of the study, which is primarily focused on when, where and how females raise their young in urban areas.

The cat spent much of her time in the Los Arroyos de Oeste subdivision between Ironwood Hills Road and Speedway, where she was a frequent visitor to several houses in particular.

Mollohan and company hoped to re-capture Sadie and give her a new collar with fresh batteries this fall.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the agency’s 24-hour tip line at 1-800-352-0700 in reference to Operation Game Thief case number 22-003130.