GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Blandford Nature Center is asking for the community’s help after a bobcat escaped from her enclosure for the second time this month.
Blandford Nature Center posted on Facebook that its female bobcat, Artemis, escaped from her enclosure Thursday evening.
Two weeks ago, Artemis made a similar escape and was found two days later in a live trap. At the time, the center believed it to be her brother Apollo who had escaped.
After that escape, alterations were made to secure the enclosure. The center says the enclosure had been approved for both bobcats by the Michigan DNR and USDA.
According to Blandford Nature Center, Artemis was able to figure out how to open a latch leading to the main enclosure from the secure temporary one and slipped through a different spot.
The center says due to her size and age, it is unlikely that Artemis will be a threat to humans or most animals. Blandford Nature Center says Artemis is roughly the size of a large house cat and her prey would range from rabbits to squirrels and smaller.
The center says its main concern is for her safety. Blandford Nature Center says the bobcat siblings lost their mother in a car accident shortly after they were born and would not be able to survive in the wild.
Apollo has been moved to a temporary secure shelter at John Ball Zoo until more alterations can be made to the enclosure.
Local police and the DNR have been notified, and Blandford Nature Center is asking the community to keep an eye out and report any sightings of Artemis to the GRPD non-emergency dispatch line at (616) 456-3400.
Blandford Nature Center says not to contact them about sightings as their phones and social media sites are not monitored 24/7. They also say not to try to capture the bobcat.
You can visit the DNR’s website for more information on how to identify bobcats.
