Bobcat Spotted Inside Louisiana Elementary School Gym

LAWTELL, La. — An unusual wildlife encounter unfolded at Lawtell Elementary this week when a bobcat was spotted inside the school’s gymnasium during P.E. class. Thanks to the quick thinking of staff and the school's transparency with families, the situation was handled swiftly, with no injuries reported.

Coach Jordan Jason and his students were in the middle of gym class when they saw what they initially believed to be a house cat. However, as the animal darted across the gym and up a stairwell, something was definitely suspicious.

“It entered from around here, but we’re not sure exactly how,” Jason told KATC. “By the time we saw it, it was near the sports table, then it ran upstairs through the door over there.”

Principal Alcinda James admitted she first thought it was a domesticated cat, but officials with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries later confirmed it was, in fact, a bobcat. Lawtell Elementary immediately evacuated the gym and notified authorities, while students and staff remained safe.

“We made sure to secure the area as much as we could and got the kids out,” Jason said.

Although Wildlife and Fisheries did not locate the bobcat during their search, the school is now working with professional animal trappers who have placed tuna-baited traps in the gym’s athletic room—believed to be the last known location of the animal.

The gym will remain closed until the bobcat is found, with P.E. classes temporarily relocated to other areas of the campus.

Lawtell Elementary addressed the situation in a public statement, noting, “As we are located in a rural area, wildlife encounters can occasionally occur... All necessary precautions were taken to ensure the safety of students, staff, and the community.”

Parents and community members expressed everything from concern to humor on social media. One comment read, “You know you live in the country when…” while another joked, “The bobcat was trying to get to Eunice, but he got lost.”

The incident serves as a reminder for all schools in rural South Louisiana to always be on the lookout for wildlife. Encounters with wildlife may not be common in most schools, but in rural South Louisiana, you never know what you’ll see.

Anyone who spots the bobcat near Lawtell Elementary is urged not to approach it and to immediately contact the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.