Mia came to Lions Tigers & Bears in November 2011 when Bobbi received a call from a man in Wyoming who needed to relinquish his pet bobcat due to his ill health. The man had no contingency plan for Mia and was unable to provide for her lifetime care or transportation to Lions Tigers & Bears. Bobbi flew to Wyoming and rented a vehicle to transport Mia back to Alpine, where she would live out the rest of her days being well cared for.Mia's owner kept her in his house as a pet. The owner had to adjust his lifestyle to accommodate Mia. He could never go on vacation, and he became accustomed to the site of shredded curtains, scratched and clawed furniture and scent markings throughout the entire house. This is a perfect example of why exotics do not make good personal pets. When Mia first arrived at Lions Tigers & Bears, she had to become accustomed to living in her outside habitat. Soon enough, Mia made herself right at home and could be seen jumping around, stalking birds and playing with Gizmo & RJ.The previous owner mentioned to Bobbi that, even as much as he loved Mia, he felt that Wyoming really needs to stop issuing permits allowing these wild animals as pets. This is an issue that Lions Tigers & Bears has been working towards, and we will continue to push for legislation that prohibits the private ownership of wild animals.
