Bobcat euthanized after rescue from car grill entrapment in NC

Unfortunately, the wildcat had to be put down after being rescued by the Carolina Wildlife Conservation Center. It was put down due to the extent of its injuries.

Around 6 p.m. on July 30, the Alexis Fire Department responded to Mount Zion Church Road. Upon arrival, the bobcat was found inside the grill after being struck by the same vehicle.  

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office contacted the nearby CWCC, who stated that they arrived within 25 minutes to find a host of law enforcement personnel and a gathering crowd. 

CWCC officials said they sedated the bobcat, then removed the vehicle’s front grill and safely contained the 17-pound animal for immediate transport to its wildlife hospital. The organization labeled it as “strong and wild.” 

“He had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time,” CWCC officials said. 

But the injuries were severe. Radiographs revealed a completely shattered humerus, with too many fragments to piece together. 

“We immediately consulted both of our veterinarians, who agreed that not even a board-certified orthopedic surgeon could repair the injury. Without the full use of that limb, survival in the wild was impossible,” said CWCC.  

Still under sedation, the bobcat died free from fear or pain, officials said. 

“This is the side of wildlife rescue that most people don’t see: the heartbreak, the hard choices, and the unshakable commitment to doing what is right for the animal, even when it breaks our hearts.” 

Bobcats are native to North Carolina, even near Charlotte.