Bobcat trapped under car hood rescued

SANFORD, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Trappers worked hard Sunday evening to rescue a frightened and feisty bobcat from behind the grill of a Lexus, where it had been trapped.

“It was trapped around the transmission cooling lines,” said Isaac Rempe, from Affordable Wildlife Removal, who trapped the bobcat. “It had been forcefully pushed up into this vehicle. It was just something that crawled up in there to get out of the cold."

“It was definitely some coaxing and slight pushing to get her to the point where we could grab her and finally pull her all the way out,” said Dave Kelly, another trapper who helped Rempe.

The car was parked in the employee lot at the Orlando-Sanford International Airport, where security guards heard the cat’s growls. 

They said it had been trapped under the hood of that car for about three days. 

Trappers say the driver likely didn't know she'd hit the wild cat.

“Obviously the person driving the car didn't notice. It was nighttime when they came into work, so we don't feel like she was trying to harm the animal in any way,” Rempe said.

Bobcats aren't a protected species and they're common throughout Florida, but it's rare for a person to see one. 

The bobcat had two broken front legs, but is expected to make a full recovery.

“This animal should be able to be released back into the wild, hopefully. If not, we still expect her to live out a nice, long, healthy life,” Rempe said.

Trappers took the bobcat to a rehab facility near Tampa to get her back on her feet.