adventures

We located two bobcat kittens in a den, a male and a female. The feisty female got feistier after receiving an injection of sedative, then went under.


As with the adults, kitten sedative dosage depends on their weight.


To prepare for surgery, Joanne shaved the kittens' bellies.


A veterinarian volunteers her time to implant radio transmitters in the kittens so the biologists can track them for about a year, then hopefully recapture the cats when they are large enough to have a radio collar.


Surgery in the field can be dangerous, so the biologists have been preparing for weeks, and all went well. (Edit: Sad epilogue--the female kitten died the following day.)


The kittens lose their body heat quickly once they go under (unlike the adults, which tend to overheat), so after the surgery, Jeff warmed the female in a fleece hat filled with hand warmers.


This month old kitten will soon grow to about 15-20 pounds.