Young Bobcat Sprints Back Into Colorado Wilderness After Months Of Rehabilitation

A video filmed by CPW SW Region captures the successful release of a young bobcat back into the wild in excellent habitat outside Montrose.

The footage shows Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers and biologists bringing a large gray transport crate into a grassy and rocky clearing surrounded by juniper trees, brush, and deadwood.

A woman wearing a dark uniform jacket and jeans, another officer in a green jacket and cap filming on her phone, and a man in a bright blue jacket carefully open the crate door.

The bobcat immediately bursts out and races across the reddish dirt and grass before disappearing into thick underbrush and trees.

One angle follows the animal from behind as it sprints away. Another clip shows the bobcat briefly stopping near a fallen log before continuing deeper into cover. A small tripod-mounted camera records the release from the side.

The video was posted on May 7, 2026, with a caption explaining that wildlife officers and a biologist from the Montrose area rescued the orphaned bobcat after it was found alone feeding on a carcass.

The animal spent several months being rehabilitated at the Frisco Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Facility. After demonstrating it could hunt and survive independently, the bobcat was released last week.

The agency also thanked rehabilitation manager Michael Sirochman for giving the animal a second chance at life in the wild.