By Nancy Cowing Umphres

For three weeks I had to bottle-feed around the clock. The first four days it was an hourly ordeal due to the trauma of her loss. In desperation I set up a little nest made out of a large, soft, quilted blanket by the side of our bed and dangled my arm to comfort her between feedings. This worked fairly well and I was able to get a wee bit of sleep as she suckled my fingers.

Phoebe the baby javelina lost her mother to a careless hunter, and thanks to some kind volunteers and networking, ended up at Zapata Wildlife Rescue in fairly good physical condition, but her emotional state was another issue (see last month's article for more information on Phoebe and the javelina). The loss of her mother and her herd was very traumatic. She searched for three days before settling down and accepting her new surroundings.

Rambo, our old foster father javelina, had been introduced to Phoebe after about a week of intensive care. He was thrilled as usual with the tiny little addition. Rambo has fostered many young javelinas, deer, feral hogs, and a few kittens in his lifetime, and you couldn't ask for a more patient, gentle papa.

The time had come for Phoebe to move out permanently before the bond with me became too strong. I had tried putting her in the pen with Rambo and leaving her for short periods of time, but she panicked and became very distressed, so I decided to let Rambo out of his pen and have him follow me to the front yard, where Phoebe liked to graze on grass and play chase with one of our cats. With a cup of coffee and the morning newspaper I proceeded to sit down and wait for nature to take its course.

Three weeks of around-the-clock care, a million puddles cleaned up, daily blankie and bottle washing, and the laces on my tennis shoes sucked to shreds, and I was forgotten in 20 minutes; completely and totally forgotten. As Rambo walked back to his pen followed by his new devoted youngster I felt a pang of regret, but the waves of relief outweighed that minute of sadness. She now had the chance to become a normal wild javelina and could eventually return to the where she belongs.

That evening as the sun was setting I went to the javelina nursery with an apple for Rambo and a bowl of milk for Phoebe. As I left the pen Phoebe started to fuss so I stayed a bit, thinking she might be having some pangs of separation after all, but she continued to cry and snort. Then it dawned on me. She wanted her blankie, not me. I went and retrieved her aromatic comforter and placed it in the large dog house that Rambo sleeps in. She immediately rushed in and happily buried herself in the folds of the blanket. Rambo also seemed to enjoy the soft addition and snuggled up next to the little snorting lump of contentment.

Phoebe is now completely wild and has cut all ties she once had with me. Without foster care this would have been impossible. Speaking of foster care, I have another success story to update. This one involves the two bobcat kittens (Tesa and Peter) who came to our center last summer. Peter arrived in a severe state of captive-help neglect and his prognosis was grim. Tesa in perfect condition due to the caring good Samaritan who not only took the time to research dietary needs and feeding schedules but also sought to get her to a wildlife center as soon as possible.

Peter was in intensive care for five weeks before Tesa arrived. His recovery took a turn for the best on the addition of a little sister. He had lost his sibling before he came to us while in captivity. The intense verbal greeting he gave Tesa convinced me that he thought she was his long lost sister and the bond has grown stronger with time.

Tesa and Peter are now living in a large 20 feet wide by 30 feet long by 10 feet high outdoor enclosure with their foster mother Luna. Peter had become a large, healthy-looking juvenile male bobcat, but his early dietary deficiency has caused permanent damage and he will probably never be able to be released. Tesa on the other hand is the picture of health and is ready to be released in about a month. I dread the day Tesa must go, as Peter is so very fond of her.

Luna has become a matronly old lady bobcat and really doesn't like to play an much as she used to, but hopefully she will be able to keep Peter from becoming too distraught over Tesa's release. Only time will tell. Peter is such a gentle soul that he may make a good foster parent himself someday.

(The Zapata Wildlife Rescue Center can be contacted by mail at 6812 STOP 68A, Zapata, TX 78076-2913, by phone at (956) 765-8526, or e-mail at dreams@zapata.border.net. Those interested in visiting should call ahead for directions.)