LIMINGTON, Maine — The basement office at the Saco River Wildlife Center in Limington bustled with life late Wednesday morning.
Cages filled with chipmunks, porcupines, a beaver, and a rather grumpy possum named Kevin munched on their lunch.
"It’s kind of, like, the tail end of our over-winter patients, so, we’re getting a lot of adult animals who are hit by a car or injured," Lauren Kennedy, the development director, said.
A large cage in a back corner of the room and draped with a blanket featuring characters from the movie "Cars" held the center's VIP: a female bobcat.
A passerby called Gorham police Saturday to report that the cat had been hit by a car. Officers found her lying on her side and breathing irregularly, so they brought her to the center, where staff then brought her to doctors at the Norway Veterinary Hospital. There, they discovered a fractured tibia and pelvis in the wild cat, which was also found to be severely anemic. They performed surgery on her leg and brought her back to Saco River Wildlife.
After the cat regained consciousness, Kennedy said it became "feisty."
"Which is phenomenal," she said. "It shows that she does have that will to continue and that fight in her. So, we were happy to see that sort of feistiness come back."
University of Maine assistant biology professor Noah Charney explained bobcats are plentiful in Maine and thrive living near a reasonably sized human population.
"They’re near humans and are impacted by humans, and we just don’t see them that much because they tend to be out at night," he explained Wednesday during an interview over Zoom.
Back at the wildlife center, Kennedy said a flood of donations helped get the bobcat the initial care she needed, and more was always welcomed to support her road to recovery.
Spring means baby season for many species and prime hunting season for bobcats, so the team at Saco River hopes to get their newest resident back out in the sun as soon as possible.