Hoover, the bobcat, ambassador for 黑马磁力鈥檚 Critter Care Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, has died.
鈥淚鈥檝e raised her since she was a tiny kitten,鈥� said Critter Care founder Gail Martin.
On June 27, Martin had her put down, after she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer just weeks before. Martin had been taking her in for X-rays after she developed a limp.
鈥淚t was very difficult. I鈥檓 finding it hard to go out to her enclosure and people around here are feeling pretty sad,鈥� she said.
Bobcats can live up to 30 years in captivity.
Hoover came to Critter Care in 2000 when she was eight weeks old. A woman in Whistler found her and had been keeping her as a pet for six weeks. Feeding her cat food, which is not the diet of a bobcat, Hoover came into Critter Care underweight and malnourished.
鈥淪he was at death鈥檚 door,鈥� Martin remembers.
But with round the clock care by Martin, Hoover pulled through. Martin tried to rehabilitate her back to the wild but despite her efforts, Hoover couldn鈥檛 survive on her own.
So she came to live in a very large, heavily-vegetated enclosure at Critter Care where she became the face of the wildlife rehab centre.
The loss comes just before Critter Care鈥檚 annual open houses on July 13 and 14. It鈥檚 the only time of the year the public is welcome to come take tours and see fawns, coyote, otter, baby raccoons, and more.
