Naturally Kiawah Guest Edition 2014 | Page 26

stand out and are worthy of mentioning specifically. One of my favorite bobcats of all time was simply known as 933. We first captured him in 2000 near Oyster Rake Drive and recaptured him again in 2004 near Town Hall. He was a very social bobcat and was often seen around Town Hall. Some afternoons, he would suddenly appear in the parking lot, sitting on his haunches, watching us unload the truck after a day of work. He would often watch us for several minutes before casually sauntering into the woods. Other days, he would walk up the steps of Town Hall and look in the front doors. One of my fondest memories of 933 involved a call that a bobcat was eating Koi (expensive goldfish) out of an ornamental pond near the front doors of the Kiawah Island Inn. When Shane and I arrived on the scene, there were 30 or so folks watching 933 as he lay on the side of the pond, in broad daylight, scooping up one fish after another. He finally finished his fish lunch and slowly eased off into the underbrush, providing a great story for many Island visitors to tell when they got back home. He was a truly unique cat that we were fortunate to track for more than five years before he was killed by an automobile in 2005. Capturing and tracking bobcats over the last 14 years has been an incredible experience for me. I have had, and continue to have, great support from all Island entities in my endeavors and am particularly grateful to the Town of Kiawah Island for allowing me the time and resources to do this valuable work and to the Conse