Mondovi, a male bobcat, arrived at The Wildcat Sanctuary in 2018. He wasn’t even a year old yet.
We’d been called to rescue him when he was found during an unrelated police seizure out of state. This little 10-month-old bobcat, originally named Lynxie, made headlines across the country. (Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this page for news coverage links.)
But what the news didn’t focus on is the story behind the story. The one that fuels the captive wildlife crisis – the breeder.
The purchaser often loses custody of the animal, but the breeder is not prosecuted and continues selling wild animals as a commodity for profit. It has to stop.
This bobcat kitten was advertised in an obscure ad in Craigslist and sold to the owner on the side of the highway for a hefty price. It’s common practice in the buying, breeding and trafficking of illegal wildlife.
Life at the Sanctuary
This little kitten had already been through so much. We felt he deserved a strong name, so we renamed him Mondovi. He arrived happy and healthy – signs that he had been well cared for.
Mondovi quickly warmed up to his caretakers. He’s a brave little boy who enjoys playing in the snow, climbing his platforms and playing all day long.
We’d recently taken in a very shy, scared Eurasian lynx named Aria. She’d also been bought as a “pet” and her owners realized captivity was not right for her. They surrendered her and she was still adjusting to this new life here at the sanctuary.
Since they were both very young, perhaps a merger might be possible? Mondovi quickly brought Aria out of her shell. It was an amazing transformation to watch! Even though Aria has such a contrasting personality, she the introvert and he the extrovert, they became the best of friends.
Mondovi’s mischievous and full of energy. Most of the day, you’ll find them together, but we can often see Aria saying, “I love you for the ball of energy you are but I’m going to be alone now,” as she sits on the highest platform in the trees of their habitat.
In 2019, Mondovi developed an ear infection. He received treatment and it cleared up well but, it did leave him with a different look. That ear ended up permanently collapsing but we still think he’s the handsomest bobcat!
Mondovi is a favorite among caretakers because of the amount of energy he has and he certainly wears his personality on his sleeve, so to speak. That’s why he and Aria’s habitat is located right up front in the Wildcat Pines section of the sanctuary so he can give his daily input to them.
We feel blessed to provide Mondovi and his BFF Aria with a forever home where they know dignity, compassion and companionship of their own kind.
Live video of Mondovi’s rescue:
https://www.facebook.com/wildcatsanctuary/videos/10155541395407183/
How You Can Help
Rescuing young wild cats is so expensive since it means 20+ years of specialized care. That’s why our sponsorship program is such a huge help! Would you consider being Mondovi’s sponsor parent?
Or even a one time donation towards his care would help so much. It’s easy to do using the buttons you see at the top of this page.
Thank you for your compassionate support!
