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Fugitive NJ Bobcat Found, Possible He Knows How To Open Doors
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 23, 2014
Modified Oct 23, 2014
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By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 23, 2014
Modified Oct 23, 2014
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The pet bobcat who went missing for the fourth time this year was found yesterday in one of the many humane traps set up in and near Stafford, NJ. Stafford Police Captain Thomas Dellane told News 12, "My understanding is that he escaped through a back door at the house. Whether it was open or he somehow opened it himself, I don’t know.”
Rocky is a 38-pound hybrid bobcat, whose owner, Ginny Fine, has desperately tried to keep him. She added an elaborate catio at the back of her home. Fine is currently in Japan, and the bobcat has been under the "care" of her 19-year-old son:
The Asbury Park Press reports, "At a court hearing on Sept. 12, Fine vowed not to let him get out again and agreed that if the cat did escape, she would voluntarily turn the pet over to the Popcorn Park Zoo. That pledge will be put to the test: Fine has again been charged with allowing Rocky, who has been declawed, to run at large and is scheduled for a hearing on Dec. 5 in Stafford Municipal Court."
Rocky is currently at the Popcorn Park Zoo. He's been there before, after previous escapes, and the zoo's director said, "This is like a second home. He's kinda used to being here—he knows the ins and outs."
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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