Roanoke – It’s almost time to say goodbye. The two rescued bobcat kittens that spent the winter at the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center in Roanoke are nearly grown — and they’re heading back to the wild next week.
They’ve grown quite a bit since last summer. They have large claws, teeth and quite the appetite.
The pair, a male and a female, have been closely followed by 10 News since they first arrived at the center last year as tiny kittens.
Fans of the furry duo still have a little time to catch a glimpse before they go. The bobcats can be seen on the 10 News Bobcat Cam, available here. Click on the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Camera to tune in. Because the camera is infrared, viewers can watch the cats even during their most active hours — at dawn and at dusk.
The release will take place at an undisclosed location to protect the animals’ safety. 10 News will be on hand to cover it.
As 10 News has reported, one of the three original kittens, a boy rescued from Wythe County, was later deemed non-releasable because it had become habituated to people. The male now has a new home.
“The habituated bobcat has been finally transferred to the Oklahoma City Zoo, where it’s been named Poe, and it’s going be in their large carnivore exhibit,” said Executive Director Chester Leonard. “It’s going to have a lovely, huge habitat.”
Leonard said bobcats are expected to live upwards of 20 plus years in captivity.
Leonard said the Wythe County animal was found last year after a family who thought they had a domestic kitten realized — after seeing a WSLS news segment — that the animal was a bobcat. The family had allowed children to handle and feed the kitten, which led staff to determine it had become too habituated to people to return to the wild.
Leonard described the center’s efforts to re-wild the animal, saying staff tried months of minimal human interaction and even kept it with the two other rescued bobcats that were more feral. “We knew after a good four months of it still doing that, that it was not going to become feral,” he said, and the center began seeking a long-term home.
Leonard said the Smithsonian National Zoo helped connect the center with the Oklahoma City Zoo. After quarantine and standard protocols, the center expects Poe to be in the zoo’s enclosure by mid-April, where visitors will be able to see the animal.
“I know it’s not what we originally wanted but it’s the best-case scenario and we’re really lucky to find someone to take it."
To donate to the care of the bobcats or support the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center: https://swvawildlifecenter.org/make-a-donation/
Watch more about the bobcat kittens rescue watch a 10 News Special Vanishing Voices: Saving Virginia’s Wildlife.