36 days ago
LAKE TAHOE, CA - Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care has released more than 13,000 injured and orphaned animals back into the wild.
Volunteers do most of the hands-on care and cleaning of cages. They have rehabilitated more than 200 different species of animals, native to the Sierra. So it was no surprise when a large bobcat, captured in South Lake Tahoe, was brought to their center a week ago.
But when a local vet performed a routine health check on the 40-pound cat, he was surprised to find a microchip under its skin. The bobcat was also declawed. It was obviously someone's pet.
The microchip helped identify the owners, and they arrived at LTWC within an hour of getting the phone call, telling them their runaway pet had been found. The owners live in Stateline, NV where it's legal to own a bobcat.
Fighting back tears, the bobcat's owner, Christel Citko said "she's a good companion, and I love her."
Even though Christel was reunited with "Bobzee," she now regrets raising a wild animal as a family pet, even one that was declawed.
"They should be free and they should be outside," said Citko. "They should live the life they're supposed to live."
For seven years, the bobcat shared a strong attachment to the family's housecat. But when the domestic cat died, the bobcat started behaving more like a wild animal, no longer wanting to be confined to a home, close to humans.
Citko asked Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care to find a zoo that would be willing to give the bobcat a new home.
And all of this took place on Sunday morning, just as volunteers at LTWC were getting ready to release a young bald eagle back into the wild. Its life was saved by the hands-on volunteers at at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.
The eagle was just a baby when it was found on the ground, near a highway, close to Lake Almanor in Plumas County. Volunteers at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care spent almost five months helping it grow strong. And now it was time to set it free.
"Releases are the best part of the whole year," said Denise Upton, a LTWC volunteer since 1995. "You love these animals dearly, but you love it when they're released. So we're happy to see them go."
For the past month, a few times a week, the eagle was allowed to fly on a tether, a little farther each time, building up strength, until it was ready to be set free. Volunteer Wayne McKnight lofted the eagle into the sky on Carson Pass, near Kirkwood Ski Resort. Almost instantly, it was met by two other eagles in the wild.
"Oh, it was incredible!" said Tom Millham, who started Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care with his wife Cherly 30 years ago. "It looked like another pair of eagles was in the area here, and they may have come out to say 'hi'. Either 'hi' or 'don't get near our area,' I'm not sure. This is the first time it's happened."
Instinctively the young eagle will learn how to dive out of the sky in search of prey. It now has a second chance at life, thanks to the heroes who give nature a helping hand. News10/KXTV
