Latest news with #bobcat
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Cameras near Everglades capture unbelievable encounter between bobcat and python: 'That's a win for the home team'
Cameras near Everglades capture unbelievable encounter between bobcat and python: 'That's a win for the home team' Invasive species can wreak havoc on ecosystems, outcompeting native plants and animals for resources and throwing off the food chain. Wildlife cameras near outside the city of Naples, Florida, caught an American bobcat preying on an invasive Burmese python, Good News Network reports, citing earlier reporting from Gulf Coast News. The Burmese python is one of the largest snake species in the world, growing to an average length of six to nine feet. The snakes are tan in coloration with dark splotches and a pyramid-shaped head. They live in and around water and are native to Southeast Asia. Because they are so large, they have few predators, outside of humans, and will eat a variety of prey. The USGS has linked the invasive species to the decline of multiple species in Everglades National Park. According to the USGS, a 2012 study found that populations of raccoons had declined 99.3%, opossums 98.9%, and bobcats 87.5% since 1997. Marsh rabbits, cottontail rabbits, and foxes effectively disappeared over that time." However, the bobcat has not given up the fight for its home territory. "A 25-pound cat killed and cached a 52-pound python? That's a win for the home team," said Ian Bartoszek, a wildlife biologist with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Bartoszek notes that the ecosystem is bouncing back as other predators are beginning to see the snakes as a potential food source. Wildlife conservationists have also stepped in to help balance the ecosystem. "Spy pythons" were implemented in Everglades National Park. These collared males lead scientists to female pythons and their nests since females can lay up to 100 eggs at a time. The hope is to remove both before they can further impact the ecosystem. Allowing invasive species to prosper unchecked can have disastrous long-term effects on biodiversity. There are currently 36 threatened or endangered species within Everglades National Park, so controlling the python is important to their successful preservation. If you're inspired by the bobcat fighting back to take control of its ecosystem, you can look into ways to take local climate action, too. Florida residents can hunt and humanely kill pythons on public land, or they can report any pythons to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
BBC News
7 days ago
- General
- BBC News
New home for Blob the bobcat after Welwyn welfare rescue
A bobcat threatened with euthanasia after its former owner was convicted of animal welfare charges has found a new, permanent the bobcat was the last of 23 big cats to be rehomed after the closure of the Cat Survival Trust in Welwyn, Hertfordshire, in May last teams at Hertfordshire Zoo and its sister site, the Big Cat Sanctuary in Ashford, Kent, rescued 28 animals after welfare concerns, but five had to be put down because of their poor health. Cam Whitnall, project lead at both sites, said: "Blob was the last one remaining, and we had to find him a home. Seven months on and we are able to welcome him to The Big Cat Sanctuary." He added: "The conditions that he was living in was just not adequate for a bobcat - it was really sad."We are really pleased to have him here, he is in great hands." Terrence Moore, 78, director of the Cat Survival Trust, was convicted of four charges of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal at St Albans Crown Court in May four animals were a male European wildcat called Hamish that had come from a zoo in Paris, a female Bengal cat named Jasmine, a jungle cat called Lily and a Caracal was also banned from keeping animals for five years and found guilty of seven charges of using an animal species for commercial gain without a other cats had been rehomed at the Kent sanctuary, including Frank, the UK's only Asian Golden Cat - Boson, a Fishing Cat - and Rhys, a Eurasian will be able to meet Blob for the first time during the sanctuary's annual open days from 24 to 27 July and 31 July to 3 August. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Yahoo
Police respond to 2nd bobcat encounter in southeast Calgary, woman left injured
A woman in the southeast Calgary community of Parkland was injured following an encounter with a bobcat on Sunday, according to police. Officers responded around 4:45 p.m. on Sunday after receiving "reports of a bobcat attack" from witnesses, said acting Calgary police staff sergeant Mike Sushelnitsky. "From the investigation, it looked like the pedestrian received some minor injuries and was treated at hospital after they took themselves there," he said. The incident follows a bobcat encounter that left a woman injured in Parkland on June 23. Sushelnitsky did not comment on whether the two incidents could be related. "It's unknown what provoked this attack," said Sushelnitsky, who pointed to Parkland's proximity to Fish Creek Provincial Park as a potential factor behind wildlife encounters. Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services responded to the scene alongside the Calgary Police Service, Sushelnitsky said. CBC News has reached out to Fish and Wildlife for comment on the latest bobcat encounter. The June 23 incident had involved a bobcat with kittens, leading Fish and Wildlife to call it an isolated, chance encounter" and conclude the mother had "appeared to act defensively," according to a statement sent to CBC News at the time.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Yahoo
Officers respond after woman finds wild predator sitting near her TV — here's what happened
A bobcat found its way into a Colorado woman's living room, according to CBS. A woman in Ken Caryl, a southwestern suburb of Denver, came home to find a bobcat sitting on a shelf behind her TV. Police were called to the scene and tried to use the lasers mounted on their tasers to tease it out. While unusual, similar encounters are not unheard of. A bobcat found its way into a school gym in Louisiana. Bobcats are the most common wild cat in America, but they are usually shy and elusive. As human habitation encroaches more on bobcat territory, encounters become more likely. Bobcats may even become conditioned enough by exposure to be comfortable approaching humans, as was the case in this recent incident. Food incentives are the biggest factor in shifting wild animal behaviors. Experts have repeatedly warned nature lovers to not feed animals, specifically because it can lead to more dangerous wildlife encounters. Animals can become aggressive when expecting food or confronted by people. Bobcats can be violent, and their increasing comfort with human proximity poses a threat. Bobcats were once hunted nearly to extinction and continue to be threatened by habitat destruction and the indiscriminate use of rodenticide. While tragic in its own right, threats to bobcats are bad news for humans, too. Bobcats help keep Lyme disease transmission down by hunting the mice that carry infected ticks, among other ecological services. This bobcat eventually left the home on its own accord using an open back door. TikTok commenters were amused by the police's initial approach. "The human instinct to go 'here kitty kitty' with a wild cat that could tear their throat out will never not amaze me," one said. "She was so done and the police officer was so excited," another noticed. "I rehab wildlife and feral cats, can confirm a bobcat will play with a laser if it is in fact bored enough so he's onto something," someone else wrote. Do you think people should be allowed to keep exotic animals as pets? Yes No It depends on the animal It depends on the person Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Nature: Bobcats are making a comeback in population in Ohio
Some of the most iconic mammals on Earth are large carnivores: lions, polar bears, tigers, snow leopards and many others. Unfortunately, nearly two-thirds of them are at risk of extinction due to the hand of man. Ohio once had a thriving suite of carnivores, including bears (more precisely an omnivore), mountain lions, wolves and bobcats. But as our human population flourished, these animals suffered. At the time of statehood, 1803, there were about 45,000 settlers of European descent. Today, the Buckeye State's human population is pushing 12 million. Bobcats, mountain lions and wolves vanished by 1855, victims of human persecution. People, in general, do not like larger predatory animals and do not want them around. Tangential to the disappearance of these charismatic mammals was the tremendous loss of the state's forests. At the time of settlement, 95% of Ohio was blanketed in rich tapestries of various woodland types. By the mid-1800s, most of that had been cleared, leading to the extirpation of another large mammal, the elk, a common prey item for mountain lions and wolves. Almost unimaginable, today, white-tailed deer and wild turkey had been vanquished from Ohio by the early 1900s. But people can right their wrongs, sometimes. Now, nearly one-third of Ohio is forested again, and that has allowed some forest-dependent animals to proliferate, perhaps most conspicuously the aforementioned deer and turkey. Far more exciting, to me, is the return of the charismatic bobcat, our only extant wild cat. In 1946, a bobcat was confirmed in Scioto County, the first record in nearly a century. Their numbers steadily increased, although bobcats remained rare for many more decades. Nature: The beauty of a red-shouldered hawk As forest cover has improved, bobcats have proliferated and they were removed from the Division of Wildlife's endangered and threatened list in 2014. While tenacious and scrappy, some readers have housecats that eclipse the average bobcat in size. While bobcats can range from 15 to 40 pounds, the average weight is around 22 pounds. A big Maine coon cat is larger. In keeping with its size, bobcat prey items are generally small, and rodents like white-footed mice and voles, along with rabbits, are their stock in trade. While bobcats are primarily nocturnal, they'll take day-active creatures like chipmunks and squirrels if chance permits. While I shouldn't even have to waste space on this, humans have absolutely nothing to fear from Lynx rufus. Wise creatures that they are, bobcats generally avoid us like the plague. No human has ever been killed by a bobcat, and attacks are nearly unknown. Since 1970, bobcats have been documented in all but 11 of Ohio's 88 counties. As would be expected, the largest numbers occur in the rough wooded hill country of southern and southeastern Ohio. According to Division of Wildlife data, Noble County is No. 1 with 340 reports. Numbers drop dramatically in the glaciated flatlands to the east, but there have been five reports from Franklin County. The return of the bobcat should only be considered a positive — unless you are a mouse — and they are furry stub-tailed proof that we can reclaim human-induced environmental damage. Nature: Clyde Gosnell and Omie Warner are extraordinary conservationists Bobcats' greatest foe today is vehicles. Vehicle strikes account for up to 20% of annual bobcat mortality. A car collision victim was recently brought to the Ohio Wildlife Center (OWC); she is the animal in my accompanying photo. While not badly injured, she suffered some neurological issues that have rendered her unreleasable. Shauna Weyrauch, a researcher and senior lecturer at OSU's Newark campus, has been studying Ohio's bobcats for the past decade. Through the use of trail cams and other tactics, she has unearthed many interesting facets of bobcat behavior and ecology. Weyrauch will be giving a program about bobcats on Aug. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ohio Wildlife Center, 9000 Dublin Road in Powell. Attendees will have the chance to see the bobcat whose image runs with this column. To register, visit Naturalist Jim McCormac writes a column for The Dispatch on the first and third Sundays of the month. He also writes about nature at jim This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Bobcats grow numbers in Ohio
