Bobcats are elusive and solitary by nature, which makes catching a glimpse of one so much more meaningful.
By Tom Koritansky, Natural Resource Manager
It isn’t too often that we are able to tout once native wildlife returning to lands where they once roamed, but that’s exactly what’s happening with Ohio’s bobcats. These elusive creatures at one time inhabited most of the state, but by 1850 they had all but vanished. Today, they are making a comeback.
Sharing the role alongside other mammals like coyotes and birds of prey such as red-tailed hawks and bald eagles, bobcats are one of Ohio’s top predators. Predatory animals play a very important role in regulating populations of organisms within the ecosystems they inhabit. Because bobcats are situated at the top of the food chain, they help to control organisms at lower trophic levels (or level in the food chain). Their food sources are wide ranging and can include insects, fish, birds, mice, squirrels and rabbits. As a predator of rodents, they help regulate mouse populations thereby indirectly helping to control the spread of tick-borne diseases carried by mice.
The decline of bobcat populations in Ohio occurred throughout the 1800s as newcomers to the state cleared forests and drained wetlands for settlement and agriculture. The loss of habitat combined with hunting for its fur resulted in the bobcat’s extirpation (or local extinction) from Ohio by 1850. Well over a century later, as land that was once farmed reverted back to forest, and abandoned mines have been restored, habitat capable of supporting bobcats returned to Ohio and has led to the bobcat’s return.
Two bobcats receiving care at the Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center
Verified sightings of bobcats in Ohio have been on the increase over the past decade. Data as recent as 2017 reported nearly 500 verified sightings in Ohio. Verified sightings are reports that positively identify a bobcat and include roadkill, incidentally trapped animals or animals that were photographed. Most of these sightings have been concentrated in the southeast portion of the state. In 2014, the bobcat was removed from the list of threatened and endangered species in Ohio. Bobcats are elusive and solitary by nature, which makes catching a glimpse of one so much more meaningful. Work continues in Ohio to determine the bobcat’s current distribution and abundance. According to information published by the Ohio Division of Wildlife, historically vehicle-related incidents with bobcats were the primary source of sighting data, but that has changed with the growing popularity and use of trail cameras. So while sighting data is one component in determining the abundance of bobcats, it is not the only metric used since several factors can confound results. Other tools such as genetic sampling are used to estimate populations as well.
Lake Metroparks’ Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center has played an important role in the recovery of Ohio’s bobcats over the past several years. Since 2013, wildlife center staff have successfully rehabilitated four bobcat kittens returning them to the wild once their health and instinctive behavioral traits improved and developed. In the fall of 2019, the center received two new bobcat kittens from another facility in Belmont County after they were found orphaned along a roadside. While the bobcats receive care and develop their instinctive behaviors, they will be featured on a live webcam for the public to enjoy. We expect to release both bobcats in spring 2020.