Lindsay Wildlife Experience releases bobcat back into the wild!
After months of rest and rehabilitation, SF Bay Area premiere wildlife rehabilitation center nurses injured bobcat back to health
WALNUT CREEK, CALIF./Nov. 3 —Lindsay Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital has successfully treated and released a young bobcat brought to Lindsay in August after he was hit by a car.
Found on the side of the road at Cummings Skyway in Crockett, just off Highway 4, the young male bobcat was brought to Lindsay Aug. 29 after it was likely hit by a car. The California Highway Patrol found the bobcat after being alerted by drivers. Contra Costa County Animal Services transported the injured cat to Lindsay where it was determined he had a broken pelvis.
At dusk on Nov. 1 the bobcat was released in the hills near Crockett, Calif., with the help of the East Bay Regional Park District. He took awhile to leave the crate; he was transported in, but darted off after cajoled by Lindsay wildlife technicians.
“When we first saw this bobcat we really didn’t think he was going to make it,” said Lindsay Wildlife Executive Director Dr. Cheryl McCormick. “But with excellent care and time he was ready to be released back to where he belongs: The wild! This is why we do the work that we do.”
It was determined that the bobcat did not have neurological injuries and rather than going through the trauma of a surgery to repair his pelvis, Lindsay’s medical team decided that cat should be on strict cage rest. For weeks he lived at Lindsay, and was a finicky eater refusing to gobble down anything but whole trout—an expensive habit!
Once better, he was transferred to Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley in San Jose, which has larger facilities for the big cat as he became more mobile. After a month in care there, and after proving that he could hunt on his own again, he was brought back to Lindsay so the rehabilitation team could release him back near where his found, in his own territory.
This was the first successful bobcat release since 2015. Lindsay gets on average one bobcat a year to the wildlife rehabilitation hospital.
Watch a video of the release by clicking here.
Drop box photos available on request.
###
About Lindsay Wildlife Experience
Lindsay connects people with wildlife to inspire responsibility and respect for the world we share. A unique natural history and environmental education center where live wild animals are just inches away from visitors, Lindsay serves more than 100,000 children and adults each year. Home to the first wildlife rehabilitation hospital established in the U.S., Lindsay treats more than 5,600 animals annually.