Catfight Over UC Merced Bobcat Mascot
Merced, CA — There´s a catfight brewing over U-C Merced´s newly adopted mascot, a real live bobcat.
Animal rights advocates say the cat should be returned to the wild.
The four-month-old bobcat was covered with mites and fleas when it was found April 21st abandoned in a trash can at Merced´s Applesgate Zoo.
The state Department of Fish and Game determined that for its own safety it should not be released and allowed the zoo to keep the kitten.
A U-C Merced spokeswoman says the kitten is the perfect face for the new campus, which chose the “Golden Bobcat” as its mascot in a contest.