Wild bobcats are on the rebound in Connecticut

By the early 1970s, bobcats faced extinction in Connecticut because of hunting and habitat loss, but the population has rebounded significantly in the last five years, with more sightings reported in the eastern and southern parts of the state.

The increase in sightings has spurred the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to launch a study to better understand one of Connecticut’s top predators.

“We hope we can learn more about the population, specifically how bobcats are using habitat in the state, so we can better conserve and manage the population,” said Jason Hawley, a wildlife biologist with DEEP.

Hawley said the study, which began in September, is set to last two years, but could be extended another year if more data or a larger sample size is needed.

The study is twopronged. The first part involves using GPS collars to track 50 cats across the state until Aug. 1, with another batch scheduled for later this year, and examining the stomachs of roadkilled bobcats to learn about their diet.

Volunteers are needed for the second prong of the study, which is to get a better estimate of the population by tallying bobcat sightings reported online or through the phone app, iNaturalist. These observations, in addition to field camera images, will be studied by scientists at the University of Connecticut.

So far, more than 400 observations have been recorded on the iNaturalist website. Hawley said reports of roadkill bobcats are even more important, however.

“People have been very excited and interested in helping us with this study,” he said.

As of now, only very rough estimates for population size and home ranges for bobcats are available.

“That’s a big part of the reason we’re doing the study,” Hawley said.

Bobcats have been in the state for centuries, but faced challenges from humans beginning in the 1800s, when vast numbers of trees were cut down to establish farms, leaving only 25 percent of the state forested by 1825. They were also hunted after they began eating livestock and there was a state bounty on bobcats from 1935 to 1971.

The bobcat was reclassified in 1972 as a protected furbearer, and the gradual reforestation of the state has helped the bobcats rebound.

Northwestern Connecticut has always had bobcats, because there are fewer people and more trees, but more sightings are reported in eastern and southern Connecticut as the juvenile bobcats migrate to establish their own territories. Generally only one male can occupy a given area, though scientists are still trying to determine how big that area is.

Hawley said it is important to understand how this apex predator interacts with other species. It was revealed during the state’s recent deer study that bobcats were the leading cause of death for fawns.

Among those helping DEEP is the Steep Rock Association in Washington. Last month, the association’s conservation and program coordinator, Rory Larson, worked with DEEP scientists to trap and tag a female bobcat on the preserve.

Larson said this work will help them get a better understanding how mammals use the preserve. The association also helps DEEP out with other citizen science projects, which Larson said engages the public in their surroundings and provides resources as DEEP faces funding cuts.

“A project of this magnitude and extent really relies on volunteers,” Larson said.

As the state study reaches the six-month mark, scientists are already noticing some surprises in their preliminary observations.

“The biggest surprise has been how bobcats are able to live in and occupy home ranges with high home density,” Hawley said. “The traditional thought was they needed lower housing density.”

DEEP is tracking bobcats in Greenwich and North Haven, for example. Researchers have noticed that bobcats in such areas are at greater risk of being killed by a car, but have ample food in the squirrels and rabbits that visit backyards.

Knowing that the animals can live in these higher-density areas could be important, especially in the parts of the Northeast where population is still increasing.

Hawley said this research is important not only in Connecticut, but could be published so it is of use to other agencies in the region.

Jeff Northcutt / Contributed photo This bobcat was photographed in the backyard of a Somerset Lane home in Stamford.