Bobcat Walks Back Into the Wild After Months of Recovery
- Wendy Kaplar
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
A female bobcat was released into the wild in Pennsylvania nearly six months after she was hit by a car and suffered fractures in two legs.
Raven Ridge Wildlife Center released the bobcat in early August after months of treatment and rehabilitation at its Washington Boro facility. The release marked the center’s first successful rehabilitation of a bobcat.
On Feb. 15, Pennsylvania State Game Warden Taylor Knash contacted Raven Ridge about an injured bobcat in Adams County. A vehicle struck the bobcat, trapping her with her head lodged in the grille.
The trip to Raven Ridge took nearly two hours. The bobcat arrived in shock and was unresponsive.
The bobcat arrived on a Sunday when Raven Ridge’s usual veterinary office was closed. Staff arranged for an equine veterinarian with a mobile X-ray machine to examine her. X-rays showed fractures in her right front and right rear legs.
Raven Ridge sent the X-rays to its veterinarian, who consulted two orthopedic surgeons. The bobcat underwent surgery the next morning. Two surgeons operated at the same time to limit how long she remained under anesthesia.
The bobcat’s movement was limited for about two months while the fractures healed. Follow-up X-rays showed her bones were healing and properly aligned.
Bobcats are Pennsylvania’s only wild feline predator. Female bobcats have an average home range of about 7 square miles and hunt rabbits, squirrels and other mammals. She still needed to rebuild her strength and mobility so she could hunt and move through the wild on her own.
Raven Ridge didn’t have an outdoor space where the bobcat could safely exercise. The center was told it could take eight to nine months to build a suitable enclosure.
Raven Ridge photographer Dawn Rise Ekdahl reached out to a neighbor who owned a kennel-building business. He worked with the center to build the enclosure and finished it in about two weeks.
A memorial donation in honor of longtime Raven Ridge supporter Raven Minervino paid for the enclosure. After Minervino died, her husband asked for donations to the wildlife center in lieu of flowers.
In the outdoor enclosure, the bobcat could exercise and rebuild the muscle she had lost. She gained 10 pounds and reached a healthy weight of 19 pounds.
By early August, the bobcat was ready for release. Raven Ridge returned her to the wild in an undisclosed location.
