COLUMBUS – Wildlife officials in Ohio are considering allowing the trapping of a once-endangered species, a plan that opponents say needs more research.
Bobcats were removed from the threatened-species list in 2014, but the Ohio Department of Natural Resources says its population has risen in recent years.
Dr. Shauna Weyrauch, with Ohio State University at Newark, studies bobcat populations and says, while visual sightings of bobcats have increased, the roadkill data has remained constant, which suggests the increased use of trail cameras could be behind the rise in visual sightings.
And she says there are other factors that could be skewing the data.
“After the bobcat was delisted, there was a slight drop in reported sightings,” she said. “Perhaps there was less interest in reporting at that time. And then after 2017, when they implemented an online reporting system, there was a spike in reported sightings.”
Weyrauch believes more data is needed before any trapping plan is approved because the bobcat is an important part of Ohio’s ecosystem.
“The bobcat is one of just a few native felines, along with a mountain lion and lynx, that are native to Ohio. So as a top carnivore, they could be considered a keystone species and help regulate populations of rodents, for example,” she said.
According to news reports, an ODNR spokesman said there were nearly 500 verified sightings of bobcats last year and the agency’s Bobcat Management Plan recommends a trapping season to run November through January, beginning this year.
But Weyrauch and other opponents argue that it is reckless to establish such a season without biological data and a true understanding of the bobcat population.
A series of public hearings will be held before a final vote on the plan on May 9th.