Wheaton's Cosley Zoo preparing to add bobcat exhibit

Sitting on five intimate acres, Cosley Zoo in Wheaton isn't really a place for big carnivores.

Domestic farm animals and creatures you could probably spot in your backyard, sure.

But an elusive hunter rarely seen in the area? That's something new.

Bobcats — one of only two wildcats native to Illinois — are expected to make their debut at the Wheaton zoo in September.

In the wild, they're stealthy creatures that leave few clues as to their whereabouts, usually just their tracks. In captivity, they're dynamic animals with distinct personalities, zoo officials say.

Cosley Zookeeper Jenny Theuman says she spied a captive bobcat leaping eight feet straight in the air. From a sitting position.

“They're little spitfires, but they're a lot of fun,” said Theuman, who previously trained bobcats at a Massachusetts zoo. “They always keep you on your game. You had to outthink them because, if you didn't, you weren't really doing them a service.”

The bobcat exhibit will mark the first new enclosure at Cosley since the late 1990s. The Cosley Foundation, the zoo's fundraising arm, and a $300,000 matching grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will cover a price tag expected to reach a little higher than the $580,000 estimate, zoo Director Susan Wahlgren said.

A mesh enclosure will tower 20 feet high, making the exhibit one of the tallest in the zoo.

“It's unlike anything we've put up before,” Wahlgren said.

Why bobcats?

The zoo strictly focuses on native wildlife, Wahlgren said. But the bobcats also offer an opportunity to educate visitors about nocturnal creatures found in rocky ledges and forests in the lower third and northwest corner of the state.

“How often do you see a bobcat?” Wahlgren said.

Cosley currently is looking for two bobcats from other zoos. To adapt them to their new digs, the Wheaton zoo will develop training schedules for medical testing and mental stimulation.

In other words, these won't be bored, lazy bobcats.

Zookeepers will encourage the bobcats' hunting instincts, delivering food that challenges their senses. White-tailed deer in a neighboring exhibit could be briefly stimulating, zookeepers say. But bobcats typically feed on ground birds and rodents.

Male bobcats can grow up to 35 pounds and usually are more reserved than their female counterparts.

Still, the “spitfires” will make the exhibit one of the most popular at the cozy zoo, Wahlgren expects.

“It means so much for everyone who works here to actually share these animals and try to teach people to love the earth and love animals,” Wahlgren said. “We want to make this emotional connection.”