Judge sends pet bobcat to zoo

STAFFORD TOWNSHIP (AP) — A pet bobcat that kept escaping its Jersey Shore  home is going to a zoo.

A judge in Stafford Township on Friday ordered Rocky's owner to relinquish ownership of her wayward pet.

Rocky has been the subject of an ongoing legal fight between Ginny Fine and town officials because of its repeated escapes.

Fine pleaded guilty to letting the animal run at large in October. She was ordered to pay a $500 fine and $560 in restitution.

Fine has said Rocky is a hybrid of a bobcat and Maine coon cat. But DNA tests were inconclusive. She would have needed a special permit if Rocky was a purebred.

The Asbury Park Press reports the judge told Fine that Rocky living in her home was not meant to be.

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