By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

First there is an ear. It twitches. Then there is the outline of a face. Will it come out from its hiding place? But the whispers of the school children nearby causes it to vanish.

Finally, the children are gone and it is quiet. It makes its way slowly, out of the hollow log. It looks toward the pathway and sees two strangers watching it. Carefully, slowly, it moves, picking something up off the ground and slinking back into the log.

The encounter is brief, but you can’t help but feel the excitement of having seen a Michigan bobcat.

The five-month-old male bobcat, along with his sister, is the newest addition to the Blandford Nature Center, 1715 Hillburn Ave. NW. 

“We believe they were born sometime in the spring,” said Sidney Baxter, marketing specialist for Blandford Nature Center. “Sometime shortly after they were born, their mother was hit by a car and died.”

The cubs, not knowing what to do, stayed with the mother. Concerned residents in the Hart area where the accident happened, contacted the animal rescue center Kelly’s Westshore Animal Friends, who took the orphans in.

“Because they were so young and had not received any of the needed life survival skills from their mother, a wildlife rehabilitator decided that the cubs would not be able to return to the wild,” Baxter said, adding that Kelly’s Westshore Animal Friends began looking for a permanent home for the cubs.

Bob the Bobcat

Blandford Nature Center cares for a host of animals, about 40, that are native to Michigan. The animals in the Center’s care would not survive in the wild and through the center help to serve as wildlife ambassadors, giving residents and children the opportunity to view the animals up close and learn more about Michigan’s wildlife.

One of the most recognizable of the Blandford animals was Bob the bobcat, who had lived to the age of 15, dying in 2020.

“The average lifespan of a bobcat in the wild is about seven years, but it is often much shorter, usually four,” Baxter said. “Bob lived to 15, which is pretty rare for a bobcat.”

Actually, according to a report from John Hopkins University, most bobcats don’t live past 10 years and the oldest recorded bobcat in the wild was 16. The oldest living capitative bobcat lived to 32.

It is estimated that between 1,000 to 1,500 bobcats live in the Upper Peninsua, but they are not only up north. Bobcats may live on the outskirts of cities such as Detroit. Because bobcats live mostly solo, only pairing up for mating season and to care for their young, and they are nocturnal, most people have never seen a bobcat.

“This makes it important for people to be able to see them so they have a greater understanding about the creatures,” Baxter said.

While the animals are often mistaken for other large cats such as cougars or lynx, bobcats are distinct. They are about twice the size of a domestic cat and get their names from their tales, which appear to be “bobbed” or cut short. Chances are if you saw a large cat in Michigan, it was a bobcat as the Canadian lynx is endangered and is rarely found in Michigan.

With an empty enclosure built for two, Blandford connected with Hart’s wildlife center about the two orphan bobcats. After passing a habitat inspection by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency, the cubs were transported in November making Blandford Nature Center their new home.

Balls of mischief who need a name

“It is interesting that Bob was declawed, so he never climbed the fence [around the habitat],” Baxter said, noting that Bob had been someone’s pet before coming to Blandford. The owner had had the animal declawed leaving Bob defenseless if put back in the wild. “Every once in a while, you’ll come out and these two are climbing the fence.”

For now the brother and sister pair are just getting used to their new home. Baxter said the male prefers the logs in the center of the enclosure while the female prefers to sit under the wooden structure.

“Both love to climb the rafters of the structure and sleep in the roof area,” she said with a laugh.

To help introduce the new ambassadors, Blandford is currently hosting a naming campaign and fundraiser. For a minimum $5 donation, participants can vote on four name choices: Lil and Phil, Leia and Luke, Artemis and Apollo, and Lilo and Stitch. Residents have until 6 p.m Dec. 14 to vote with the winning name being announced on Dec. 15.

No matter what name is chosen, many – including those children on the trailway path trying to capture a peek – are excited to have bobcats back at Blandford Nature Center.

“It’s been a little bit over a year since our bobcat, Bob, passed away and walking by his empty enclosure always made me miss having a bobcat wildlife ambassador,” said Blandford Wildlife Manager Lori Lomoro. “I am excited to have these two using that enclosure now, and I can’t wait to hear about the experiences students and guests will enjoy while visiting and learning about these two beautiful animals.”

As Baxter and I walk away from the enclosure back to the main building, we turn for a look back. Watching us, in full view, and then, he is gone.

Community members can visit the bobcats on the Wildlife Trail during Blandford’s open hours Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more about Blandford Nature Center or to vote on a name, visit www.blandfordnaturecenter.org.