Bobcat Kitten Rescued at Community Pool Sparks Wildlife Dispute

ALPINE, CA - The head of an animal sanctuary in San Diego's East County said Friday that she's embroiled in a dispute with state wildlife officials over the fate of a bobcat kitten dropped off last month at a Rancho Bernardo pet hospital.

Bobbi Brink, the founder of Lions, Tigers & Bears in Alpine, said state Department of Fish and Wildlife officials allowed her to take in "Diego" at the end of March but reversed the decision and claimed the animal last week.

The problem is that Diego is dependent on humans, and is not a likely candidate for eventual release into the wild, which is the aim of the state agency, Brink said in a statement emailed to media outlets.

She said that when Diego arrived at Lions, Tigers & Bears, staff discovered he was very trusting of humans.

"He did not exhibit any behavior typical of a wild bobcat and did not hiss once at any of the staff at the animal hospital or LTB, which led the LTB staff to believe that he was captive-bred or in human hands for quite some time," Brink said.

The bobcat, dehydrated and emaciated when found near a community pool, was reliant on the LTB staff for food -- bottle-fed by a human every three hours.

Brink said officials with state Fish and Wildlife have not returned her calls. She said Diego was taken to a rehabilitation center in Northern California where he will be isolated from human contact.

Andrew Hughan, a spokesman for the agency, told City News Service they always will try and place the animal back in nature whenever they can.

"This time of year we typically have dozens of abandoned or stranded bobcat kittens statewide and we work very hard to move them to a central location to pair them up with other orphans that will give them the best chance for survival," Hughan said.

"We currently have several pairs of bobcats at a facility and are hopeful that they will acclimatize to each other and we can release them when they are old enough and healthy enough," Hughan said. "If they cannot be released we will work with Bobbi, and other facilities around the state to find them a suitable, safe and nurturing home to live."

Bobcats are paired with other members of their species in order to give them a better chance of survival in the wild. Brink said she fears if Diego is released, he will approach humans for food.

The 12-year-old animal sanctuary made headlines in four years ago for taking in "Meatball," a 400-pound black bear that raided refrigerators in homes adjacent to the Angeles National Forest. Roughly 20 bears and exotic cats live at the 93-acre facility, according to its website.

Read the full Lions, Tigers & Bears statement on its Facebook page.

By City News Service / Images via Lions, Tigers & Bears