San Mateo's CuriOdyssey Launches Bobcat Webcam

Animal lovers can now watch a creature not usually seen by humans live from their homes.

San Mateo's science museum CuriOdyssey on Thursday announced the launch of its webcam, giving a birds-eye view of two visitor favorites – a pair of bobcats.

The webcams allow visitors to CuriOdyssey’s website to see the bobcats in their museum habitat and also provide a behind-the-scenes look at CuriOdyssey’s top-notch animal care and enrichment activities, museum officials said.

The webcam was donated by Dropcam, a San Francisco company, in partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The webcams operate during daylight hours and are also available for viewing on most smartphones and for the iPad using the Dropcam app.

CuriOdyssey hopes to use the webcams as a resource for local classrooms, animal research institutions, and citizen science organizations, as well as local bobcat lovers, according to museum officials.

“This is a great opportunity to provide a behind-the-scenes experience for our visitors when they aren’t at CuriOdyssey,” Rachel Meyer, executive director, said in a statement.

“It’s also a great way for kids and adults to make observations about these fascinating animals that they might not be able to see when they visit and almost certainly wouldn’t see in the wild,” she said. 

CuriOdyssey’s bobcats, Frankie and Caro, arrived at the zoo in 2009 from National Bobcat Rescue and Research Foundation in Texas.

Caro survived a near-fatal bout with pneumonia as a kitten, requiring him to be rescued and nurtured by a rehabilitation center, which imprinted him on humans.

The other bobcat, Frankie, suffers from a neurological disorder that causes him to have unusual motor movements. His sub-optimal physical health means he would not be able to survive in the wild. Both are approximately three years old.

CuriOdyssey’s bobcat webcam can be viewed by going visiting the CuriOdyssey website or by downloading the free Dropcam app for most smartphones and for the iPad.

For more information about CuriOdyssey, go to www.CuriOdyssey.org.