Bobcat bounces back with kittens after Woolsey Fire

Four tiny, blue-eyed bobcat kittens made their debut in Westlake Village recently – a sign of resilience in what experts say has been “a tumultuous time” for wildlife in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Their mother was captured and collared in Thousand Oaks a day before the Woolsey Fire swept through Ventura and Los Angeles counties in November. 

Researchers dubbed her B-362, one of hundreds of wild bobcats in a decades-long National Park Service study.

Flames destroyed the parkland west of Westlake Boulevard where she was found late last year. But the young bobcat survived and appeared to move into an unburned area nearby.

On Friday, the National Park Service said biologists used radio-telemetry and GPS points from B-362’s collar to locate her. She was in a dense area of vegetation in a big backyard in Westlake Village with four kittens.

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With an OK from the homeowners, researchers found the den and gave checkups to the roughly 4-week-old kittens while the mother was away. Their tiny ears were fitted with tags.

Biologist Joanne Moriarty said the mother cat chose a den in thick brush to keep her kittens safe. Moriarty has studied bobcats in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area for more than 15 years.

“This cat first had to deal with her habitat getting completely burned in the fire and then finding a new home in an unburned area,” she said in a statement released by the park.

Another female that researchers are following in the study has remained in the burn area, the agency reported. Researchers say she doesn’t seem to have reproduced so far this year.

Cheri Carlson covers the environment for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.