Watch CBS News

Homeless Trio Credited With Rescuing Baby Bobcat In Riverside

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) —  He's just too cute for words. And if not for the kindness of strangers, the little fella might not have made it.

A little bobcat was rescued from a river bottom in Riverside's Fairmount Park after Winda Bosquez saw the cub's mother spook and scamper off with his sibling, leaving the kitten all alone, squealing for help as birds pecked at him.

"I really never even thought about being scared, everybody's like it will tear you apart and eat you up, it never even dawned on me, it was just a baby, it was so cute," says Winda Bosquez.

So she scooped him up and put her in her backpack until she could find help. She called Riverside County Animal Services.

Litrle Bobcat
(credit: Riverside County Animal Services)

Aanimal Control Officer Lorena Barron-Lopez came to the rescue. Animal Services says Bosquez and two other homeless people put safety concerns second in rescuing the little cub.

One man told her the cub appeared helpless.

"He said there was crows and flies around it and he just didn't want to leave it there to die," Barron-Lopez said.

Clips of the baby bobcat

Barron Lopez says the cub is probably about 3-months- old. And while he is adorable, he's still very much a wild animal

" t was a little frightening because I didn't know if it was going to bite me but it ran right into my cage," she said. "It was very scared. I felt bad for it."

The cub will ultimately be placed in the care of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, They'll care for him until he's old enough to be released into the wild.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.