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RAY EUBANKS ©2008
The bobcats at The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center explore their new home. |
Seven permanent resident bobcats at The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center got an early Christmas gift in early December. The animals—former pets who were confiscated by the California Department of Fish and Game and brought to the center over the years for permanent residence—were endowed with the gifts of more freedom and an enriched environment.
The unexpected source of this unusual gift: some very generous golfers.
On a sunny day in September, 2007, golfers hit the greens for The Fifth Annual Charity Golf Tournament to benefit the center. The participants putted and chipped their way toward a better future specifically for the bobcats. By the 18th hole, they together raised more than $20,000.
The funds were put to use building a large airy enclosure for the former wild "pets," one that improved upon their old digs with some finer amenities the bobcats deserved.
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RAY EUBANKS ©2008
The new bobcat enclosure has living trees, allowing the bobcats hiding spaces and making them feel more comfortable. |
Before Sanctuary, Bobcats in the Rough
Each of the bobcats were admitted to the center after they were taken from private homes, where they had been kept as exotic pets. Keeping wildlife as pets deprives the animals of a natural life and places them (and their keepers) in dangerous situations. Often sold as babies, most wild animals' natural behaviors emerge as they mature, and their owners are faced with potentially dangerous and unpredictable behavior.
When the California Department of Fish and Game released the bobcats over to the care of the center, the animals had lost their fear of humans. They never learned hunting skills, and they remain dependent on humans for support, making them unsuitable for life in the wild.
The center provided permanent homes for these ex-pets to live out their lives in a semi-natural state. And on Christmas Eve of 2007, with the gifts of generous golfers and volunteer construction labor, the lucky bobcats moved to their beautiful new enclosure.
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Posted March 19, 2008
