Bobcats Thriving in Illinois

Illinois' bobcat population has gone from threatened to thriving, according to a story by Paula Davenport of Southern Illinois University's Office of Public Affairs. Davenport's story is based on a study by wildlife experts at SIU's Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory.

"Bobcats are even more abundant and far healthier than we suspected," says Alan Woolf, director of the laboratory. "It's surprising how well they're doing in a human-dominated landscape." Bobcat sightings in the northern portion of Illinois went from 70 in 1992 to 216 in 1998. Sightings in the state's southern third were even higher, going from 98 in 1992 to 425 in 1998. Although the figures convinced state officials to remove bobcats from Illinois' threatened species list in 1999, hunting, trapping and the keeping of bobcats is still prohibited.

Woolf says such protections, enacted in 1972, are helping bobcats rebound in a big way.

During the study, which was funded by the Department of Natural Resources' federal aid to wildlife restoration dollars, Woolf and his staff staked out a 400-square-mile area in Union and Jackson counties, where bobcats are abundant. With the help of more than 50 landowners and 15 volunteer trappers, cages were set out and foothold traps baited with road kill. Researchers then waited for elusive bobcats to show up. Captured bobcats were weighed, measured and checked for health problems.

Of the 99 bobcats captured, 76 were fitted with radio collars, giving scientists a chance to track their movements and learn more about their lifestyles over a two-year period. A year's tracking data shows 80 percent of the bobcats survived. Of the 14 fatalities, seven deaths involved collisions with autos, two with trains, two in traps, two by unknown causes and one by a natural cause.

Other finds revealed that young male bobcats stick close to mom for the first year or two. Then they wander off and establish individual territories. Four of five young males moved to new territories more than 70 miles away from where they were born. Most adult bobcats stay within their established home ranges. Only three bobcats moved to new digs, probably because a neighbor died or a more dominant individual displaced them.

Researchers are now trying to learn the various landscape components that make for the best bobcat habitat. That knowledge will lead to better estimates of bobcat numbers throughout Illinois and will help scientists better predict how development, farming and other land uses affect populations. "In the early '80s, bobcats were virtually thought to be absent from the agricultural Midwest," says Woolf. "This is a critter that's rebounded pretty well. And they don't need a lot from us. They just need a little bit of habitat."

Bobcats Facts Size:Adult males average 25 pounds, while adult females average 15. Home range: Adult males occupy a 36-square mile territory, while adult females live in a 12-square-mile area. Breeding: Two to four kittens are born in dens in caves, hollow trees or barns. Kittens are reared by their mother. Male kittens between the ages of 1 and 2 venture off to stake out their own territories. Diet: Bobcats mainly hunt mice, voles squirrels, rabbits and entrails left by deer hunters. Life expectancy: Up to 12 years , although under optimal conditions, bobcats could live 15 to 20 years.