Odd-Looking Feline Found in Florida Chicken Coop Prompts Call to Wildlife Rescue
WILD Florida Rescue is caring for the animal, who was found looking "incredibly skinny" and malnourished
A wild cat who recently slipped into a Florida chicken coop ended up being the animal who needed saving.
On Nov. 12, WILD Florida Rescue (WFR) — a nonprofit dedicated to emergency first response service for wildlife — posted on Facebook about one of its recent saves. According to the organization, it received a call on Nov. 8 from a concerned chicken owner after the man found a feline who "wasn't looking well" trapped in his coop.
The cat's appearance was so disheveled that the man had trouble identifying it, but he believed the animal was a bobcat that desperately needed help.
Related: Wild Bobcat Caught Casually Lounging in Dog Bed Inside Arizona Home
WFR sent a rescuer to the chicken coop and confirmed that the "incredibly skinny" feline was a wild female bobcat that had fallen on rough times, suffering from mange and malnutrition. Per the Miami Herald, WFR told McClatchy News that the bobcat was half the size of a healthy bobcat and was missing the stripes and spots that usually decorate the species's coat.
"Because of the mange, it appears she can't see well. ... She was looking for easy prey in the coop, and even so, she wasn't doing well at getting any. No chickens had been harmed," WFR staff said in a statement about the sorry state of the bobcat.
The feline is now in the rescue's care and is focused on putting on mass and clearing up her case of mange.
"Lab work came back and shows there is nothing non-reversible, which is great news. She is not out of the woods yet but is being gently treated and cared for. She has got some fight and spirit in her, and that's what's keeping her going so far," the nonprofit wrote on Facebook about the bobcat's current status.
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WFR hopes that the bobcat will make a full recovery under its care and will be able to return to the wilderness near Cocoa, Fla., once she heals. The organization did note that if the bobcat can be released, she will be let go in an area far from the chicken coop where she was found.
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Another animal sighting caused a stir this fall. On Oct 22, the U.K.'s Bristol Zoo Project shared that staff members had spotted a "mysterious winged and horned creature" on one of the trail cameras the park has set up near the animal habitats. The zoo asked its followers for help identifying the creature, which the organization suggested could be a muntjac deer.