A WEST Somerset zoo has stepped in with 24 hours to spare to save a wild bobcat from being put down after its big cat sanctuary owner was ordered to re-home his animals following convictions for causing unnecessary suffering.

Terrence Moore, director of Hertfordshire-based Cat Survival Trust, was banned for five years from keeping animals and ordered to find new homes by January 23 for the trust’s 28 big cats, which included puma, lynx, jungle cats, servals, bobcats, jaguar, a snow leopard, an Asian golden cat, and an Amur leopard said to be the world’s most endangered big cat.

Vets had to euthanise some of the animals because of their conditions.

Hertfordshire Zoo took on the bulk of the re-homing work and by the final day, Thursday (January 23), was left with two bobcats which could not be homed together and faced being put to sleep.

Tropiquaria Zoo has saved Bode the bobcat from being put to sleep. PHOTO: Sam Tull, Tropiquaria.
Tropiquaria Zoo has saved Bode the bobcat from being put to sleep. PHOTO: Sam Tull, Tropiquaria. ( )

With time running out, Chris Moiser, director of Tropiquaria Zoo, near Watchet, heard about the animals’ plight and offered to take one of the bobcats named Bode.

Mr Moiser, who recently launched a £15,000 winter survival appeal to help Tropiquaria meet its daily overheads until the 2025 visitor season opens, said: “Our own circumstances were far from certain at the time, so we could not really afford to get involved, but felt that on moral and ethical grounds we should.

“We had a one off-show cage that we could use, and an offer of field shot wild rabbits from a local hunter.

“I drove on Thursday to collect Bode.

“The drive was not an easy one, and the weather was horrible, but I got there at just the right time, and after they had got the last lynx sedated and boxed, I was introduced to Bode.

Safe for now, Bode the bobcat after being taken in by Tropiquaria Zoo. PHOTO: Sam Tull, Tropiquaria.
Safe for now, Bode the bobcat after being taken in by Tropiquaria Zoo. PHOTO: Sam Tull, Tropiquaria. ( )

“One of the International Zoo Vet Group vets darted him, micro-chipped him, and vaccinated him.

“Then we boxed him and I headed for home.

“The Hertfordshire Zoo people then told me that they were very happy because one of the other rescue centres had taken the other bobcat that morning, so they had successfully re-homed everything, except for three older cats which had to be euthanised due to advanced, non-reversible, ill health.

“Thursday was also the last day for collection as the case was finally dealt with in court on that day, and as it happened Bode was the last cat to leave the site.”

Mr Moiser said it was likely Bode would eventually go to a Dutch rescue centre which had not had time to put together the relevant paperwork.

He said: “However, if funding became available, we would love to keep him here.

“There are very few bobcats on display in the UK, possibly only three collections, and they are a very attractive small lynx type cat, sometimes called the bay lynx, and they still occupy large areas of North America and Canada in the wild.”

Tropiquaria’s GoFundMe appeal has now reached nearly £11,000 and the zoo will return to daily opening to visitors from Saturday, February 1.