A project to renovate the bobcat enclosure at the Land Between the Lakes Woodlands Nature Station is entering a new phase of fundraising.
Public program coordinator Arrianne Byrum said the bobcat - named ‘Bobcat’ - serves as an educational ambassador to some 50,000 visitors each year. Renovations to the 25-year-old enclosure would improve fencing, add a double door system, and introduce a shift system with an indoor room so the bobcat could stay safe during inclement weather.
The new enclosure is projected to cost $35,000 dollars. Byrum said they’ve raised roughly $13,000.
“Bobcat here at the Nature Station allows us to provide for some of our visitors what we would call ‘that Nat Geo experience’. Bobcats are not something you necessarily see out in the wild very often,” Byrum said.
Byrum said bobcats are common at Land Between the Lakes, but their stealthy nature keeps them hidden. She said their population has increased in recent years to 300. A ‘Bites For Bobcat’ fundraiser is 6 p.m. Thursday at Tap 216 in Murray. Tickets are $15 to pre-order and $20 at the door. People can call 270-924-2294 to reserve tickets.
The new enclosure will be called Bobcat Barrens.
