Two orphaned bobcat kittens rescued by the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center in Roanoke have gotten their happy ending.
After nearly a year, and an estimated $20,000 cost of care, the female bobcat kittens WSLS featured through the 10 News bobcat cam on wsls.com have been successfully rehabilitated and released.
10 News was there when the kittens were first brought to the center, and there for the release on Monday at an undisclosed location kept private for the safety of the animals.
The release was a special moment for staff and volunteers at the SWVA Wildlife Center who spent 9 months tirelessly caring for them. Executive Director Chester Leonard said the team poured an incredible amount of time, hard work, and devotion into making what he calls a “miracle” happen.
“We are absolutely thrilled. This is a remarkable success story here for us at the wildlife center,” Leonard said.
But it was a long road to get here.
The two orphaned bobcat kittens arrived last August at the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center. They were only about a week old at the time.
They needed round-the-clock bottle feedings and emergency care.
“Our entire team, volunteers, interns, staff and veterinarians, everyone came together over the course of the last several months to make this little miracle happen,” Leonard said.
As a volunteer, I even got the opportunity to feed one of the kittens. I suited up in protective gear that included thick gloves. Though the kittens were tiny, they had quite a paw full of impressive claws. They were eager to use them, kneading like a domestic cat would during a feeding as it quickly drank its bottle. During feedings, a bobcat mask is worn to prevent imprinting, so the kitten won’t associate food with people. From the human perspective, it’s odd. But the masks serve a purpose in keeping the bobcat wild.
It was the most amazing experience, holding something that small and vulnerable, yet knowing the predator it would hopefully grow to become.
Due to their young age, and arriving so late in the summer, the kittens had to spend the winter at the center. It was a long stay that required special accommodation. After the kittens outgrew their specialized formula stage, they needed a diet they would receive in the wild. This included raw meat. Later on, it required small live prey. Not only was that important for their diet, it was important for them to learn to hunt.
“We estimated the cost of their care to be around $20,000. That includes food. As you can imagine, as they get bigger, they eat more and more. There at the end they were eating about 3, 3.5 pounds a day,” Leonard said. “To really see them through for such a long period of time, and to overcome a lot of the hurdles that they did, especially because they came in underweight and covered in fleas. The prognosis was really guarded in the beginning. So, to see all of this come to fruition now is truly remarkable and it’s absolutely emotional because we’ve invested a lot of blood, sweat and tears, time and money to make this happen. We are feeling a lot of emotions. But mostly elated right now.”
After months of hard work, spring came. It was time to return the two female cats back to the wild.
But, the staff had to capture them first. Getting them in their kennels wasn’t easy. Humane box traps were set several nights before in the bobcat enclosure so they could get used to them being there. Capturing one is hard enough. Capturing two at the same time – next to impossible. Leonard joked he joined the ranks of the few people who wrangled a bobcat.
“Borderline scary, terrifying. These are huge cats,” Leonard said. “At one point when we were trying to catch them today one jumped over my head. It was truly thrilling. It was a memory I’ll never forget, and it was wonderful to be able to do it with my mom, too.”
Leonard’s mom is SWVA Wildlife Center founder Sabrina Garvin. She was the primary caregiver for the kittens. I rode with her to the release site with the bobcats in tow. She felt a lot of emotions as the kittens she personally fed during all hours of the night for weeks were about to be set free.
“I’m excited and at the same time, mama hen kicks in. So much time and energy has gone into these and I worry, are they going to be OK? If they could call and check in every week it would be great! Let me know they are doing OK. But that’s part of what we do. We just trust that we have done the best and that they are going to be wonderful,” Garvin said.
It was the first time I had seen the cats in person since feeding them as kittens. It was a much different experience. Remember that mask I talked about wearing during their feedings? It clearly worked.
Though many of us felt a special bond with the bobcats — I received a clear reminder that they were wild animals as I inched close to their kennel to take video. One cat swatted at the door and let out a growl that clearly let me know it was time to take a step back. It was terrifying. It was wonderful. It was a beautiful moment to witness, however, I remained thankful there was a strong barrier between us. This bobcat’s ferocity was a clear sign the wildlife rehabbers had done their job.
For Garvin and Leonard, it was an emotional moment unloading them from the vehicle and carrying them into the open field where they would be set free.
It took a little coaxing as the bobcats were unsure of leaving their kennels at first. But once they got a taste of freedom, instincts kicked in. They were ready.
As soon as one leaped out, her sister was quick to follow. In almost a movie moment, one bobcat stopped mid-sprint and looked back toward where Garvin and Leonard were standing.
“It was fantastic. It’s especially nice, one stopped, looked over its shoulder gave us a little thank you nod, and went on its way,” Leonard said.
The female pair ran into the woods, back to where they were meant to be; in nature, ready to begin adulthood and hopefully have kittens of their own one day.
It’s the bobcats’ second chance at survival, thanks to countless staff and volunteers at SWVA Wildlife Center who are dedicated to preserving nature, keeping it wild and free.
To donate to SWVA Wildlife Center during Roanoke Gives Day Wednesday click here.