What's the value of a pet bobcat compared to a wild bobcat?

Georgia Department of Natural Resources in their bobcat fact sheet say that the economic value of a bobcat in their state can be boiled down to the value of their pelt which is $25-$70 per pelt depending upon pelt size, colour, fur thickness and spottiness. I believe the last word refers to the number of spots on their coat. The more spots the more attractive it is, is my guess.

Difference between lynx and bobcat. Image: MikeB

Wild bobcats

So, the value of a wild bobcat is around US$50 because it's just the value of their fur. Of course, I hate the thought of trappers and hunters killing bobcats for their skin but a lot of people like doing it. Trappers in Georgia harvest annually between 1,200 and 1,800 bobcats while those that shoot them harvest between three and five times more. Enough said. It's horrible for me. I don't know if the flesh of the bobcat is then eaten by the trappers or sold. I would doubt it. If it is, it will add slightly to the value.

Pet bobcats

As for pet bobcats, I wouldn't advise adopting one, buying one or looking after one. If you are set on the idea then you've got to be very knowledgeable and very well equipped both financially and in terms of facilities. We should leave bobcats alone in the wild to live their lives naturally. To adopt one as a pet is self-indulgent.

Apparently Big Cat Rescue say that a bobcat kitten is usually priced around US$900. My research indicates that you can get hold of a bobcat cub for around US$1,000 but they might go up to US$1,500 or there might be a bit cheaper. This is similar to the price of a purebred domestic cat.

20x more expensive

So, you can see that a pet bobcat, which I presume has being somewhat domesticated through socialisation, is around 20 times more expensive than a wild bobcat.

Of course, all my references are to America which is where the bobcat is mainly distributed. They live in North America but not far into Canada because it's too snowy.