BOBCATS

BOBCATS. A pair of sightings on trail cameras in southern Dubuque County in May 2017 highlight a great comeback story for bobcats in Iowa. The Dubuque County Conservation Society posted the pictures on their Facebook page earlier this month

   "It's a great conservation success story that the 
   populations are rebounding and spreading mostly 
   through southern Iowa, but the populations here in 
   eastern Iowa are rebounding as well," said Brian 
   Preston, director of Dubuque County Conservation.

Preston says they've seen bobcats go from an endangered species in 1977, to just a species of concern today. Their numbers have gone up enough that the Iowa DNR now opens a brief season on bobcats in some counties. They pose no threat to humans or their animals, and survive on a diet of small game like mice and rabbits.

                  "Bobcats are a very secretive animal. I still have not 
                  seen a live one in the wild. I've seen plenty of trail 
                  camera pictures, I've seen tracks, have not seen a live 
                  bobcat. But they don't like to be around humans, and they 
                  will take off," Preston said.

If fortunate enough to see one, keep your distance and cherish the opportunity. Many people tend to mislabel bobcats as mountain lions. Mountain lions no longer have a native population in Iowa, and are usually up to ten feet, while bobcats are just three feet long.

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Source:

Hanson, Brad. Pair of Dubuque County Sightings Highlight Bobcat Comeback in Iowa, KWWL.com May 22, 2017Online: http://www.kwwl.com/story/35483608/2017/5/22/pair-of-dubuque-county-sightings-highlight-bobcat-comeback-in-iowa