30/10/2021
How adorable is this?
We pretty frequently get questions from new supporters about the baffling love story between T’challa the bobcat and his fennel. For those of you who haven’t heard it before (or are understandably still confused!) we wanted to recap the reason our nonreleasable bobcat often has a fennel bulb.
T’challa was dropped by a hawk as a newborn bobkitten and he turned out “special” as a result. He can’t hunt, has no fear of humans, and makes some, well, questionable decisions. As a result, he became an education ambassador rather than being released to the wild.
One day, I was bringing a box of produce to skunks and raccoons and T’challa started loudly crying and reaching out, as if to say, “Gimme!”
I handed him a fennel bulb thinking he would realize it wasn’t food and would stop crying for it. Instead, he became instantly obsessed. He spent hours snuggling with it, throwing it, sleeping with it, chewing it, and just generally making it clear that fennel was his favorite thing in the world.
Naturally, I had to give him another fennel bulb once he had loved his first one to pieces. And then another, and then another. Now, fennel is just a weekly supply to keep T’challa happy. He loves his fennel. I mean LOVES his fennel.
A lot of people ask “why fennel?” but I really don’t know the answer. One possibility is that the estrogen-like compounds in it have a similar effect to the smell of a female bobcat in heat. Another possibility is that it contains a compound that is similar to the psychoactive compound in catnip. The simplest, and most likely, explanation, though, is that he just really enjoys the smell.
Several of our friends and colleagues in zoos and rehabilitation centers across the country have tested to see if their bobcats also enjoy fennel. Although many found the smell interesting for a few moments, none have developed an obsession with it like T’challa. It’s just one more thing that makes him very unique and wonderful.
T’challa’s love of fennel led to some people getting the idea that we force him to eat vegetables and that he is starving. Please be assured that T’challa eats a healthy, balanced diet suitable for bobcats, which are obligate carnivores. He is not vegetarian and he is not starving. He just really loves to play with his fennel, and sometimes that involves chewing it.
Thank you to everyone who helps us care for the critters who need us. It’s because of you that we can help keep T’challa happy in human care!
