bobcats Running Bear

Male Bobcat
6/2/1997 – 3/7/2022

Running Bear is now with Little White Dove

3/7/2022 “Now they’ll always be together in that happy hunting ground,” as their song goes. He was 24 years old and the last of the cats to be born at the sanctuary before we learned better and stopped breeding in 1997. You can post your tribute to this brave little bobcat in the comments at the bottom of this page.

Running Bear and Little White Dove

Running Bear’s Story

Running Bear was born in 1997.  He was neutered and lived with Little White Dove until she died at the advanced age of 21.  He pretends to be tough, but can’t help but show his silly side when enrichment is involved.

Most of our bobcats were rescued from fur farms where they were being raised to slaughter for their fur.  Some were being sold at auction where taxidermists would buy them and club them to death in the parking lot.  But a few, like Running Bear, were born here in the early days when we mistakenly believed the breeders and dealers when they told us that these cats should be bred for “conservation.”

Once we learned that this kind of breeding does NOT contribute to conservation in the wild we began neutering and spaying our cats in the mid 1990’s and we became the leading advocate for focusing on preserving cats in the wild and not breeding these intelligent, magnificent animals for an unnatural life in a cage

Sponsor Running Bear Bobcat:  http://big-cat-rescue.myshopify.com/collections/sponsor-a-cat

Running Bear & Little White Dove

by J.P. Richardson
On the banks of the river, stood Running Bear, young Indian brave.

On the other side of the river stood a lovely Indian maid.

Little White Dove was her name, such a lovely sight to see.

But their tribes fought with each other, so their love could never be.

Chorus:

Running Bear loved Little White Dove with a love big as the sky.

Running Bear loved Little White Dove with a love that couldn’t die.

He couldn’t swim the raging river, because the river was too wide.

He couldn’t reach his Little White Dove waiting on the other side.

In the moonlight he could see her blowing kisses cross the waves.

Her little heart was beating faster waiting there for her brave.

Chorus:

Running Bear loved Little White Dove with a love big as the sky.

Running Bear loved Little White Dove with a love that couldn’t die.

Running Bear dove in the water, Little White Dove did the same.

As they swam up to each other through the swirling stream they came.

As their hands touched and their lips met, the raging river pulled them down.

Now they’ll always be together in that happy hunting ground.

Chorus:

Running Bear loved Little White Dove with a love big as the sky.

Running Bear loved Little White Dove with a love that couldn’t die.

 See More About Running Bear:

Hear some great vocalizations by Running Bear and Little White Dove in this Wildcat Walkabout Video on May 1, 2014 – http://bigcatrescue.org/now-big-cat-rescue-may-2-2014/

Running Bear and Little White Dove

Most of our bobcats were rescued from fur farms where they were being raised to slaughter for their fur.  Some were being sold at auction where taxidermists would buy them and club them to death in the parking lot, but a few, like Running Bear, were born here in the early days when we were ignorant of the truth and were being told by the breeders and dealers that these cats should be bred for “conservation.” Once we learned that there are NO captive breeding programs that actually contribute to conservation in the wild we began neutering and spaying our cats in the mid 1990’s.  Knowing what we do about the intelligence and magnificence of these creatures we do not believe that exotic cats should be bred for lives in cages. Read more about our Evolution of Thought HERE