The Living Desert introduces two bobcat kittens to ‘forever home’
PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) - The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens introduced two bobcat kittens to their new habitat and what care professionals are calling their "forever home."
David and JoAnn are brother and sister, and were brought to the zoo from Oregon. The siblings were found in a box on a driveway near Springfield and Eugene. Officials with The Living Desert are unsure who took them, where they were found originally or where their mother is.
"It's really important that we know that when we see animals out in the wild that might be struggling or that we perceive need help, that we're contacting authorities rather than taking things into our own hands," Heather Downs said, one of the zoo's animal care curators.
Down and Elizabeth Hiner were a part of the team caring for David and JoAnn, which required around-the-clock care to feed them and ensure they were gaining weight daily. Hines, the animal care lead keeper, said it was a special experience for her.
"It's not every day that you get to raise little ones from kittenhood to adulthood," Hiner said. "And it makes us feel good that we've kind of set them up for success."
Because of the circumstances they were found under, with no mother present, the kittens will spend their lives under the care of the living zoo staff. They say without human intervention, the siblings would not have survived in the wild.
Stay with News Channel 3 to hear their story, more about their care and how important officials say it is to coexist with animals.
