Here's what happened to animals rescued in Dixie, Lava, Antelope, Fawn fires in 2021

Three bear cubs, a bobcat and a pig rescued from Northern California fires in 2021 went safely home or will soon be released.

In October, the Redding Record Searchlight published stories about animals who were victims of the state's raging wildfires, including the 1,500-square-mile Dixie Fire.

They and other animals were rescued by wildlife experts and caring neighbors. Injured wildlife received medical attention, then bunked at animal refuges where volunteers fed them and helped them keep their specialized skills and wild ways.

As 2021 wrapped up, we circled back with people who care for five of the animals we featured to see how they were doing.

To read more on this story, click here: Here's what happened to animals rescued in Dixie, Lava, Antelope, Fawn fires in 2021

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8 Secrets Zoos Keep Under Wraps

Zoos exist to display exotic animals for all the world to see. But what's going on at zoos away from the public's view?

Few destinations conjure up as idyllic an image as an afternoon at the zoo. Strolling about on a nice day with some lighthearted animal-themed ice cream treat and checking out monkeys, bears, and a few sleeping reptiles is as wholesome as apple pie on the Fourth of July.

But certainly, some secrets must be hidden in the shadows of those cages and fake rock formations. For those who have ever wondered about what’s really going on at your local zoo behind the locked gates and after closing time, allow us to drops some zoo truths on you.

To read more on this story, click here: 8 Secrets Zoos Keep Under Wraps


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‘Beautiful’ Bobcat Stuck in Car Grill Rescued on Thanksgiving

RICHMOND, Va. -- The director of Richmond Animal Care and Control saved a bobcat that was hit by a car on Thanksgiving.

Officials posted on Facebook that a person driving to work in Richmond Thursday morning knew that she had hit something.

However, it was not until the woman parked at VCU that she discovered she had hit a bobcat, which was still lodged in the grill of her car.

To read more on this story, click here: ‘Beautiful’ Bobcat Stuck in Car Grill Rescued on Thanksgiving


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Remarkable Wildlife Encounter: Bobcat Emerges from Surf with Shark in its Jaws

Fort Pierce, Florida- A man said he captured a remarkable wildlife encounter Monday: a bobcat emerging from the surf near Sebastian Inlet with a shark in its jaws.

But the photo that made the evening news before spiraling onto the Internet inevitably raised questions over its authenticity.

“I can appreciate that,” said John Bailey, a Fort Pierce sales rep who said he initially thought he’d walked up on a dog in the surf as he was strolling down the beach between 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. Monday. Bailey said he watched the bobcat wade through the water, then pounce and stride out of the water with the shark in its mouth.

Using his iPhone, he said he was able to snap one quick picture before the bobcat dropped the shark and took off for nearby brush. The entire encounter lasted just seconds, he said.

Florida wildlife officials who looked at the picture said they had no reason to suspect it was fake. But in several Internet postings, people asked: Real or Photoshop? And long shadows also raise questions.

Bailey, in a phone interview with the Miami Herald, said he couldn’t remember exactly where he was in Sebastian Inlet State Park, an area just north of Vero Beach with a long ocean-side sandy beach. The angle of the strong shadows suggest that for the picture to have been shot in the evening at sunset, the bobcat would have to have been on the western, Indian River side of the park. But that inland area has only a few patches of sandy beach along the inlet and the river. Bailey said he couldn’t recall if he was walking north or south, just that the beach was on his left.

“Had I realized I was going to stumble onto something like that, I probably would have been aware of my surroundings,’’ he said. Bailey said he had gone to the beach “just to clear my head.”

Bobcats, the closest relative of the Florida panther but far smaller and with a namesake bobbed tail, have been spotted near area beaches in the past. But the normally shy felines typically move about at night and are notoriously elusive. They don’t fear water, unlike some wild cats, and have been known to take a dip in search of food. They typically eat small mammals like rats and rabbits, but wildlife biologist Robert King said increasing development in the area may have driven out prey, forcing the cats to expand their menu.

“Would they go into the surf and pull out a shark? Darn right they would,” said King, who studied bobcats in the Everglades in the 1980s. “Unless it’s been photo-shopped, I believe it.”

Bailey said he never imagined the shot would turn into Internet fodder.

“It’s kind of been a shock,” he said. “I didn’t think it was that rare, but I guess it is.”

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