spectr17
01-22-2003, 10:39 PM
Bobcats make comeback in Iowa
By JULI PROBASCO-SOWERS, Des Moines Register Staff Writer
01/20/2003
Bobcats are spreading to all corners of Iowa, marking the resurgence of a species that was all but driven out of the state in the 1800s.
"Bobcats have already been seen across a lot of Iowa. I believe they will be found in every county in the state in the next five years," said Ron Andrews of Clear Lake, a biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Iowa probably is home to more than 1,000 bobcats, Andrews said, based on the increasing number of sightings. The animals have been seen, found in traps or hit by vehicles in 70 Iowa counties since 1999. Bobcats recently were seen in Lucas and Madison counties, and a bobcat was accidentally trapped and killed in Linn County in early January.
Bobcats still are considered threatened in Iowa and may not be trapped or hunted.
Even with the bobcat population's growth, Andrews sees little impact on human activity. He said he knew of a woman who was scratched in Minnesota when she got between a bobcat and a domestic cat, but he'd heard of no instances of adults or children being injured by bobcats in Iowa.
He also said he didn't think the animals would have much if any impact on game birds, livestock or pets, although he noted that all predators are opportunists, so incidental encounters are possible. The animals primarily eat rodents, sometimes rabbits.
Bobcats are unlikely to move into urban areas, and they pose little threat to humans.
"They are very wary of humans, and I can't see them being attracted to urban areas. But wildlife can be very adaptable," Andrews said. Male bobcats range in weight from 17 to 24 pounds, although some have been known to reach 30 pounds. An average female weighs 13 pounds. The largest bobcat found in Iowa in the last three years weighed 20 pounds.
Ryan Powers, wildlife specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, said he had received no complaints about bobcats injuring poultry or other livestock in Iowa.
Farmers are asking about potential problems as the animals return to the state, said Rick Robinson, director of environmental affairs with the Iowa Farm Bureau. He has heard stories about bobcats eating baby pigs and chickens.
"There will likely be some livestock losses, but I also think the presence of bobcats will help keep wildlife populations in balance," Robinson said. "We just need to make sure there are options for farmers to deal with problems if they come up."
Andrews said trappers all but eliminated bobcats from Iowa in the 1800s, and their habitat was turned into farmland.
Iowa biologists expected a slower comeback of the secretive and primarily nocturnal cats. Andrews said there was a belief that bobcats would not be able to adapt to urban sprawl and would not have enough habitat to spread easily.
"It has certainly snowballed and their numbers have been much greater than anticipated," Andrews said.
Andrews and biologist Todd Gosselink will begin next month to study bobcat populations and movements. A $46,825 federal grant will help pay for the study focusing on Lucas, Monroe, Warren, Marion and Clarke counties.
Biologists will use box traps to capture up to 20 bobcats. Ten of the cats will be equipped with radio collars and 10 with global positioning units so their movements can be tracked.
"We are going to look at survival rates, what are they dying from, any disease concerns, habitat use and movements to see what areas of Iowa they are using," Gosselink said.
Andrews said bobcat populations have been aided by the Conservation Reserve Program, a voluntary federal program that provides farmers with incentives to plant resource-conserving covers on erodible cropland. The conservation practices give a boost to prairie species such as rodents, a food staple for bobcats.
Bobcats also were protected by law in areas where their populations had been greatly reduced. In Missouri, some regulated trapping and hunting is allowed because of population growth.
If Iowa biologists someday determine there are sufficient numbers of bobcats to sustain the population here, limited trapping and hunting could be allowed.
"Bobcats like to follow wooded river corridors. They have probably been moving back into Iowa in larger numbers since the 1980s, primarily coming from Missouri, Kansas and the Dakotas," Gosselink said.
By JULI PROBASCO-SOWERS, Des Moines Register Staff Writer
01/20/2003
Bobcats are spreading to all corners of Iowa, marking the resurgence of a species that was all but driven out of the state in the 1800s.
"Bobcats have already been seen across a lot of Iowa. I believe they will be found in every county in the state in the next five years," said Ron Andrews of Clear Lake, a biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Iowa probably is home to more than 1,000 bobcats, Andrews said, based on the increasing number of sightings. The animals have been seen, found in traps or hit by vehicles in 70 Iowa counties since 1999. Bobcats recently were seen in Lucas and Madison counties, and a bobcat was accidentally trapped and killed in Linn County in early January.
Bobcats still are considered threatened in Iowa and may not be trapped or hunted.
Even with the bobcat population's growth, Andrews sees little impact on human activity. He said he knew of a woman who was scratched in Minnesota when she got between a bobcat and a domestic cat, but he'd heard of no instances of adults or children being injured by bobcats in Iowa.
He also said he didn't think the animals would have much if any impact on game birds, livestock or pets, although he noted that all predators are opportunists, so incidental encounters are possible. The animals primarily eat rodents, sometimes rabbits.
Bobcats are unlikely to move into urban areas, and they pose little threat to humans.
"They are very wary of humans, and I can't see them being attracted to urban areas. But wildlife can be very adaptable," Andrews said. Male bobcats range in weight from 17 to 24 pounds, although some have been known to reach 30 pounds. An average female weighs 13 pounds. The largest bobcat found in Iowa in the last three years weighed 20 pounds.
Ryan Powers, wildlife specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, said he had received no complaints about bobcats injuring poultry or other livestock in Iowa.
Farmers are asking about potential problems as the animals return to the state, said Rick Robinson, director of environmental affairs with the Iowa Farm Bureau. He has heard stories about bobcats eating baby pigs and chickens.
"There will likely be some livestock losses, but I also think the presence of bobcats will help keep wildlife populations in balance," Robinson said. "We just need to make sure there are options for farmers to deal with problems if they come up."
Andrews said trappers all but eliminated bobcats from Iowa in the 1800s, and their habitat was turned into farmland.
Iowa biologists expected a slower comeback of the secretive and primarily nocturnal cats. Andrews said there was a belief that bobcats would not be able to adapt to urban sprawl and would not have enough habitat to spread easily.
"It has certainly snowballed and their numbers have been much greater than anticipated," Andrews said.
Andrews and biologist Todd Gosselink will begin next month to study bobcat populations and movements. A $46,825 federal grant will help pay for the study focusing on Lucas, Monroe, Warren, Marion and Clarke counties.
Biologists will use box traps to capture up to 20 bobcats. Ten of the cats will be equipped with radio collars and 10 with global positioning units so their movements can be tracked.
"We are going to look at survival rates, what are they dying from, any disease concerns, habitat use and movements to see what areas of Iowa they are using," Gosselink said.
Andrews said bobcat populations have been aided by the Conservation Reserve Program, a voluntary federal program that provides farmers with incentives to plant resource-conserving covers on erodible cropland. The conservation practices give a boost to prairie species such as rodents, a food staple for bobcats.
Bobcats also were protected by law in areas where their populations had been greatly reduced. In Missouri, some regulated trapping and hunting is allowed because of population growth.
If Iowa biologists someday determine there are sufficient numbers of bobcats to sustain the population here, limited trapping and hunting could be allowed.
"Bobcats like to follow wooded river corridors. They have probably been moving back into Iowa in larger numbers since the 1980s, primarily coming from Missouri, Kansas and the Dakotas," Gosselink said.