WEST MILFORD, N.J. (Passaic County) – A 6 to 7-month-old male bobcat that was struck by a car in West Milford is recovering at a Hunterdon County refuge center.
After the bobcat was found alive, members of the New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Species Program assisted in sedating and assessing the cat for injuries before transporting him to a vet for x-rays. The cat was then transferred to the Woodlands Wildlife Refuge in Pittstown, according to NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Thanks to the efforts of West Milford Animal Control, Woodlands Wildlife Refuge, Voorhees Corner Veterinary Hospital, Crown Veterinary Specialists and our own Division staff, this bobcat will have a chance to recover from its injuries and be released back to the wild, NJDEP said.
Each year roughly seven to eight state-endangered bobcats are found on roadways and reported to the Division of Fish and Wildlife. Division staff take tissue samples from the carcass, including DNA and a tooth for aging, to help with our understanding of NJ’s bobcat population. From these data we have learned that 72% of bobcats struck and killed by vehicles are less than 2 years old, likely because they are naïve to road hazards and because they may disperse long distances to find a new territory of their own. It is this necessity to move through the landscape—for bobcats and all terrestrial wildlife—that is the basis for a project the Division is leading called Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey (CHANJ), to be released in 2017, NJDEP said.
“A thank you to Woodlands Wildlife Refuge and others for rescuing this young bobcat,” NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife said.
If you observe an injured or dead bobcat on the road, please call the NJDEP at 1-877-WARNDEP (1-877-927-6337).
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By: Jay Edwards
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(Photo Courtesy NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife)