Bobcats Morro and Fresno WERC 2009

For over 15 years, the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center (W.E.R.C.) of Morgan Hill California has been rehabilitating bobcat kittens using bird-of-prey anti-imprinting methods. This technique ensures that the bobcats dont become habituated to their human caretakers and remain wild and wary of people when theyre released back to their native habitats. To make themselves as unlike a human as humanly possible, surrogate bobcat mothers wear full-body costumes, scented with herbs and bobcat urine to cover up human odors. Remaining quiet at all times when within the enclosure, they never stand up and walk on their hands and knees.

The method has proven successful with more than 30 bobcats over the years and W.E.R.C. has been internationally recognized for its bobcat kitten protocols.

Now, once again, W.E.R.C. is at work making sure that two little kittens will grow up to be truly wild wildcats!

On April 14, bobcat Morro was discovered in the middle of a field by a hiker trekking in a Morro Bay park. He was uncertain of whether the mother had only accidentally and temporarily dropped her tiny kitten, while transporting her to a safe haven. Checking back an hour later, the hiker found that the helpless kitten, only one-week-old and whose eyes were still closed, was still there and so it was assumed that the mother was either dead or had abandoned her. She was cared for by Pacific Wildlife Care for a few days, and then was transferred to W.E.R.C.

For the first few weeks of her life, Morro needed to be bottle-fed six times a day by her surrogate bobcat mother, who also spent time grooming the kitten, stimulating the way its natural mother would clean her baby.

Fresno was one of four 3-week-old kittens that were discovered when some men were tearing down a shed in Mariposa and inadvertently scared off the mother bobcat. When the men came back several days later, two of the kittens were gone, one was dead, and the fourth was Fresno .

Park rangers brought him to the Fresno Wildlife Center , where he received care and treatment for a respiratory illness for two weeks before being transferred to W.E.R.C.

The two kittens have become great friends, pawing and nipping at each other playfully as they run around the room and over logs.

By June, both bobcats will transfer to W.E.R.C.s outside enclosure where they will become accustomed to the weather and have plenty of space to run and climb. Their surrogate mother will continue to bring them food and play bobcat games with them. These games help develop the hunting skills that they will use to find food in the wild.

To see W.E.R.C.s bobcat rehabilitation program in action, click on the video at www.werc-ca.org

Category:

Education

Tags:

• WERC
• Bobcats
• W.E.R.C

[LadyDawn142]

Oh, they're ADORABLE!! Awesome video!! I've got bobcats in my neighborhood that just wander through from time to time. It's always a thrill to see them.

[vincecharus]

People should stop killing bobcats. That is a cruelty without purpose.

[zerlinda]

Wow! Almost makes me want to dress up like a bobcat mom and get in there with them. Thanks for a great video! It really shows some wildlife worth saving. I have been a contributor to WERC for many years and their work is SO worth supporting if you love animals and have anything you can send them. They can really use the help.

[EagleGhost117]

Those baby bobcats sure are cute lil things, great job W.E.R.C.