Ariel
Ariel Bobcat
Female bobcat
DOB approx: 3/1/2010
Rescued: 8/1/2014
Moved to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge November 30, 2023
In July 2014, a woman called Big Cat Rescue and said her son had a bobcat that his dog had dragged in as a kitten, four years earlier. She had been living in the house as a "pet". Now he was expecting a baby and was afraid the bobcat would harm the child, so he wanted to find a home for Ariel, but he wasn't licensed to have her.
In the state of FL, it is illegal for anyone to take a wild animal from an unlicensed person, so we contacted the FWC, explained the situation, and since Ariel was a native bobcat, we were told we could bring her in under our rehab permit and try to rehab her. At the end of the rehab time limit, which would be up the end of that month, we would see if she was ready for release, or if she could be released to our captive population, under our captive wildlife permit.
We gave rehab our best shot and Ariel can kill in a confined space, but she will boldly walk right up to anyone she thinks has food, and that is never going to work in the wild. It will get her killed, and could very well get someone hurt. The Florida Wildlife Commission agreed to let Ariel stay at Big Cat Rescue in January 2015 and she has lived here ever since.
The Florida Wildlife Commission agreed to let Ariel stay at Big Cat Rescue in January 2015. Now we will begin working on gaining her trust and making her a part of our happy wild cat clan.
Ariel Begins Settling In at Big Cat Rescue
Ariel is a very elusive bobcat. One of her favorite places to spend her day is on top of her platform.
When you can catch Ariel for a good photo before she heads to her platform, you can see her bobcat beauty!
