By Tammy O’Neil, Wildlife Care Manager
The bald eagle and the bobcat are not only top predators, they are both resilient and have success stories to share. When you think of an eagle or bobcat, you may think of strength, fierceness and animals truly built to survive. However, both species were on the brink of extinction in Ohio not so long ago. Even a top predator can’t compete with chemicals, over hunting, illegal trapping and habitat loss. As recently as 1979, there were only four bald eagle nests in Ohio. Their numbers drastically reduced due to harsh chemicals such as DDT, habitat loss, pollution and lead poisoning. Bobcats were not only affected by habitat loss during settlement but overhunting also resulted in bobcats being extirpated from Ohio by 1850. While these two species were in peril due to negative human impacts, over time their populations have rebounded due to positive human changes.
As society has evolved, people have learned how to be good stewards of the land and animals. Instituting the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (1918) and the Endangered Species Act (1973), creating sustainable hunting practices, banning DDT, cleaning our rivers and lakes, and conserving and protecting habitats for wildlife are ways society has improved stewardship. Encouraging public participation through citizen science projects provides awareness, education and support of these projects.
In 2020, the Ohio Division of Wildlife (ODOW) called on Ohio citizens to report bald eagle nests located throughout the state. This citizen science project resulted in the reporting of 707 verified active bald eagle nests statewide! In 2012, after years of protection and research, there were 281 bald eagle nests in Ohio. The ODOW felt that was a good number to sustain the population and therefore removed them from the state’s endangered species list. Since 2012, the bald eagle population had soared a staggering 151 percent!
Luckily, eagles are still protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (1940) and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Even with their growing numbers and these acts of protection, they still need our help. As we share space, there will always be human and wildlife conflicts. Eagles are still impacted by illegal shooting, lead poisoning, blue/green algae, habitat loss and collision with power lines and wind turbines, all of which can result in injuries and death.
The Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center, in partnership with the ODOW, often provides care to eagles that are injured. Our most recent eagle patient was tangled in fishing line and hooks near Headlands Beach State Park in Mentor. A hook went through his wing and in his attempt to remove it, the hook ended up through his beak. This prevented him from flying or eating. When we received him at the center he was emaciated, malnourished, weak and suffering infection at his wound sites. He was found just in time for us to start medical care and treat his wounds before they caused permanent damage. He received three weeks of daily care, ate lots of fish and got plenty of exercise to prepare him for release. This eagle’s resilience and fierceness allowed him to heal quickly and build up his strength again. He was released to soar along the shores of Lake Erie again near where he was found.
The bald eagle healed well and was able to be released again after a few weeks of care.
Beginning in the 1990s, bobcat sightings became more common in Ohio, so the ODOW began research and population studies of the species. These efforts began an awareness and understanding of the bobcat abundance and distribution in Ohio. It was discovered that the restoration of farmlands and old abandoned mining sites provided the habitat and space needed for bobcats to call Ohio home again. In 2014, bobcats were removed from Ohio’s threatened and endangered species list. The ODOW reached out to the public in 2017 to report any bobcat sightings for a population update. Surprisingly, 499 sightings were reported that year in comparison to 169 sightings in 2012. These sightings were confirmed in 46 counties through trail cameras, photos and roadkill finds. Today, deaths due to vehicle strikes remain the biggest threat to bobcats in Ohio.
The Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center, in partnership with the ODOW, is the primary bobcat rehabilitation facility in the state. Since 2012, the center has cared for and released eight bobcat kittens (six of which were orphaned due to vehicle strikes). Don’t let their cuteness fool you though—even as kittens they are fierce and defensive. It is imperative that we maintain this wildness throughout their stay at the center. We never want them to become friendly or imprinted on humans as this decreases their chances of survival significantly.
During the time spent at the center, the bobcats are in an enclosure large enough to allow them to practice their innate survival skills, strength, agility, and stalking and hunting. We provide as natural a habitat as possible for them, natural food sources and remove them from human interactions as soon as they are weaned off milk. In May 2020, we released two bobcats received in September 2019 back where they were originally found in Belmont County. It is important to release them near the location of their birth to prevent introduction or spread of diseases. This contributes to the population remaining healthy in that area.
The female bobcat jumped from the kennel into her new territory.
Not even a full week after the two bobcats were released, we received a call that another orphaned bobcat kitten was found sleeping alone in the road in Harrison County. About two weeks after that, we received word of a kitten from Carroll County wandering around alone for three days. Both kittens were brought to the center for rehabilitation. Despite being thin and weak on arrival, both kittens received overall good health checks from our veterinarian. Getting a good health check allows us to put them together quickly. Nothing can replace the natural “play” provided by another young bobcat. This allows them to practice fighting, stalking, chasing and natural behaviors as they would with a sibling in the wild. We will keep these two new kittens a year, allowing them to grow and develop until they too can be released back into the wild.
Check in to see the activity of the two new bobcats here.
The bobcat kittens were each given a full physical by our veterinarian within the first 24 hours of their arrival. Both were given a good bill of health.