Boris the Bobcat looks cute enough to have as a house pet.

But as Wildlife Discovery Center curator Rob Carmichael noted, "He's still a wild animal."

Carmichael told the story of how the now 2-year-old Boris came to the Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm in Lake Forest as he spoke to a group of adults and children who turned out Wednesday for an "Ask the Expert" segment sponsored by Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch.

A Russian couple originally owned Boris, and they took him on the road as part of a traveling circus along with more than 70 poodles in a trailer.

Carmichael said he caught up to them in Indiana where the couple had mixed emotions about giving him up, but they knew he would be better off.

Thanks to Wednesday's event, Boris is a little closer to enlarging his cage space at the Wildlife Discovery Center. The goal is to build an extension south of his cage that will cost $25,000.

They have raised more than $5,000 and there will be some matching grants, but donations will ensure Boris receives the extra space he needs.

To make a tax-deductible donation, make checks payable to: Friends of Lake Forest Parks and Recreation, earmark the check "WDC-Boris Fund," and mail it to: Attn: Rob Carmichael, Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm, 1401 Middlefork Drive, Lake Forest, IL 60045.

• Video: To see Boris in action from Wednesday's event, visit the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Facebook page and click on the Videos box on the right side of the page.