RESIDENTS have rallied round with a £3,500 fund-raising target now in sight to help keep rescued Bode the bobcat in West Somerset.

About 60 cash donations totalling nearly £2,500 were made within 24 hours of an online appeal by Tropiquaria Zoo, near Watchet.

Bode was saved by Tropiquaria director Chris Moiser just hours before veterinary surgeons were due to put him to sleep.

The big cat was the last of 28 animals ordered to be re-homed after Hertfordshire-based Cat Survival Trust director Terrence Moore was convicted of animal welfare offences and banned for five years from keeping animals.

Mr Moiser heard about Bode’s plight and travelled to collect him on the final day of the re-homing work, after which Bode would have been euthanised.

A £3,500 appeal looks set to be reached to keep bobcat Bode in West Somerset.
A £3,500 appeal looks set to be reached to keep bobcat Bode in West Somerset. ( )

The animal was initially due to move on to a charity in The Netherlands which had been unable to complete the necessary paperwork in time.

But Mr Moiser was overwhelmed with local people calling on him to keep Bode in Tropiquaria, an initiative costed at about £3,500 to provide a suitable enclosure

Mr Moiser said: “Staff here have fallen in love with him, as it appears have many of our visitors who have seen his story online.

“They all want him to stay.

“Several people have contacted us to offer financial support in relation to his housing if he stays.

Bode the bobcat was saved by Tropiquaria Zoo from being euthanised.
Bode the bobcat was saved by Tropiquaria Zoo from being euthanised. ( )

“We have an enclosure which is about the right length and height, but this will need some upgrading.

“The total cost is about £3,500, but with the money already offered, through sponsorship by local businesses, and a private individual, we may manage with a bit less.

“If more is donated we would use the money for further environmental enrichment within the enclosure and to improve the path immediately outside.

“As well as cash, donations of skilled labour and the loan of a mini-digger for half a day would also help reduce the cost and enable us to proceed with greater speed.”

Tropiquaria returned to daily opening on Saturday (February 1) but Mr Moiser said Bode was currently in isolation in an off-exhibit enclosure space.

Tropiquaria Zoo is keeping Bode the bobcat in isolation while he settled in to his new surroundings.
Tropiquaria Zoo is keeping Bode the bobcat in isolation while he settled in to his new surroundings. (Tindle News)

He said: “Rest assured he is being well taken care of and seems very relaxed now that he has had some time to settle in.

“Bode is a remarkably handsome chap and is slowly winning the hearts of his keepers here.

“If anybody knows of any businesses that might be interested in a corporate sponsorship contributing to an enclosure we would be interested to hear them.”

Mr Moiser said the public response to Bode’s story, which the Free Press carried last week, had been ‘amazing’.

A separate online fund-raising appeal launched last November to help the zoo survive the winter following a significant downturn in 2024 visitors has also brought in more than £11,000 toward daily overheads until the 2025 visitor season opens.

Mr Moiser said the decision to rescue Bode had been against this background of financial challenge, but he felt it was the right thing to do ‘on moral and ethical grounds’.