ROANOKE, Va. – UPDATE
The bobcat kitten taken into the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke in November has died after being hit by a car.
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According to Chester Leonard, executive director of the center, the bobcat had internal injuries that weren’t revealed until later on, and the team brought in an outside feline specialist for a second opinion.
“It went from otherwise healthy to crashing in very little time and there was nothing that could be done to save her. We’re still recovering from the loss,” said Leonard.
There are now two remaining bobcats in the care of the center.
ORIGINAL STORY
Thanks to a concerned citizen, a bobcat kitten is now recovering at the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke after being hit by a car.
Wildlife center officials said the citizen found the kitten dragging herself along the side of the road and barely alive near the Peaks of Otter in Bedford.
When the kitten was being admitted to the facility, staff members said they noticed she had a concussion, severe trauma to the face, and several broken teeth.
Because of the injuries and the location the kitten was found, staff determined that the animal had been hit by a car.
For several days to follow, the kitten was anemic and unable to eat on her own, staff said.
After fluid therapy, oxygen treatment, and several life-saving medications, wildlife center officials were happy to report she is on the mend.
Officials said the kitten is growling, improving her motor and locomotion skills, and has a voracious appetite – all supporting indicators that things are looking up for the kitten.
While the animal is still dealing with lingering effects of the head trauma, they’re expected to resolve with time, officials said.
“When you only weigh a few pounds and get hit by a several thousand-pound car it’s going to take a little while to heal,” the release read, in part. “We hope that she’ll soon join our other two orphaned Bobcat kittens and overwinter with us until their release in the spring.”
The rehab is expected to be extensive and costly. When considering food, care, enclosure maintenance, and staffing for all three bobcats at the facility until their release in May, officials said the expense will be around $25,000.
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Additionally, Leonard said they are accepting some food donations of venison or other wild game. In order to be accepted, the game must not be hunted with lead.