After 10 months of rehabilitation and rewilding at Northern Lights Wildlife Society in Smithers, BC, two sister bobcats were returned home to the forests of qathet last week.
Powell River Orphaned Wildlife Society (PROWLS) founder Merrilee Prior told the Peak that the pair were discovered as orphaned kittens last July on Duck Lake Road, Branch 3.
A local resident called PROWLS after finding them with their dead sibling in the middle of a logging road, according to Prior.
However, with the help of more than a few caring people, including a pilot named Chris Hansen, the two wild cats were flown from qathet to Victoria; a Pacific Coastal Airlines crew then flew them from Victoria to Prince George, where volunteers from Northern Lights Wildlife Society picked them up and drove them to their facility in Smithers.
"The bobcats travelled by air, land and sea, eventually coming full circle back to Powell River," said Prior. "This was the result of the kindness, and donation of time, and service from so many."
Prior said she gives all the credit to Peter and Angelika Langen, co-founders of Northern Lights, where the sisters spent 10 months under their exceptional care and rewilding efforts.
"It was always the goal to release them back in their home region, when Northern Lights determined they were release ready," said Prior. "Angelika taught them how to hunt, and she got them winterized; they had no interest in people."
Prior said Angelika and Peter took it upon themselves to drive the siblings from Smithers to Prince Rupert, then spent 16 hours on BC Ferries sailing from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy at the north end of Vancouver Island. The couple then drove the bobcats to Comox, took another ferry “and presto, they were here."
"They're very wild, and when we opened the doors, they took off," added Prior.
Only two facilities are allowed to rehabilitate bobcats. Northern Lights is one of them.
"I'm sure they have a chance; Angelika makes sure they have a chance," said Prior. "She has to see them hunting different kinds of prey right before she'll release them."
Prior added that Angelika and the Northern Lights team have experience rehabilitating black bears, grizzly bears and moose back into the wild.
"She released over 80 bears last year," said Prior. "They're usually orphans."
Prior and the PROWLS team doesn't usually reveal where animals are being released due to folks wanting to hunt them.
"There are lots of people out there who want to kill a bobcat," added Prior.
In a social media post Prior stated: "Thank you, Angelika, Peter, and all the volunteers and staff at Northern Lights, we humbly and sincerely thank you from PROWLS and all our supporters. They were born free and now they are back free in the beautiful wilderness of their home; [it’s a] wonderful outcome."
Ken and Kathie Pritchard took photos of the bobcat release and staff at PROWLS, took a video.
To watch a video of the bobcat release, go to Powell River Orphaned Wildlife Society Facebook page.
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