GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Just two weeks after escaping her enclosure at Blandford Nature Center, Artemis the bobcat has escaped again. The center is now asking for the community’s help in searching for and locating her.
According to a Facebook post by Blandford Nature Center, Artemis escaped her enclosure Thursday evening. This is just weeks after she made a similar escape and was found two days later in a live trap. At the time, staff believed the escapee to be Artemis’ brother, Apollo.
"Because it was such a rushed moment, we didn't check the bobcat we did have to see what sex it was," Marketing Specialist Sidney Baxter told 13 ON YOUR SIDE in a phone interview.
“Although this enclosure was approved for both bobcats by the Michigan DNR and USDA and alterations had been made following the previous escape, Artemis is intelligent and figured out how to open a latch leading to the main enclosure from their secure temporary one and managed to slip through a different spot,” the post reads.
Baxter calls Artemis a smart cat. The last time, she was found in a live trap that a neighbor set on the northeast side of the property.
"The likelihood of her going outside the range again, I think, would be slim," she says.
Baxter says staff hope to find her before this weekend's snow storm arrives.
"She hasn't learned all those skills that she needs to survive, but we're hoping those instincts kick in for her and she's able to survive thru that snowstorm if we don't capture her, but fingers crossed that we do," she says. "(Our) top concern is that she gets home safe."
According to the center, Artemis is roughly the size of a large house cat and her prey would range from rabbits to squirrels and smaller. She is unlikely to be a threat to humans and most animals.
“At this time, the main concern is for her safety. These two young bobcat siblings lost their mother in a car accident shortly after they were born and would not be able to survive in the wild on their own - they live at Blandford for this reason,” the post continues.
Local law enforcement has been notified but the public is being asked to be on the lookout for Artemis. If you think you spotted her, you're asked to call GRPD's non-emergency dispatch line at (616) 456-3400.
Blandford officials stress that no one attempt to capture her.
Artemis’ brother Apollo has been placed temporarily at John Ball Zoo while more alterations are being made to the enclosure at Bradford Nature Center.
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