Bobcat populations struggle in portions of New York

Using remote cameras, researchers found “concerning trends”

While bobcats are rebounding in many places, researchers using trail cameras found their populations in central and western New York state remain extremely low.

For a study published in Biological Conservation, biologists tracked occupancies for several species. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the region are flourishing. Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and coyote (Canis latrans) populations are abundant. Eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) and gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) numbers remain low.

Bobcats (Lynx rufus), however, “displayed one of the more concerning trends that we saw,” said lead author Joshua Twining, a postdoctoral researcher in the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.

Read more from the Cornell Chronicle.

Feb. 22, 2024 – post updated, including new title, to express more clarity of the study’s finding.

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Header Image: Bobcats have rebounded in much of the United States. But in New York, researchers found, their numbers remain extremely low. Credit: eperry_51 via iNaturalist