The bobcat population has rebounded over the past 125 years, making it North America’s most common wildcat: as of 2011, there were an estimated 3.5 million bobcats in the United States alone, a significant increase from the late 1990s.
These intelligent felids, Lynx rufus, have benefited from conservation efforts that have increased their natural habitat. The species also thrives at the edges of towns and cities, where their presence can even reduce the spread of pathogens like Lyme disease that affect people, says podcast guest Zara McDonald, founder of the Felidae Conservation Fund.
“ There are a couple of meso-carnivores that do especially well at the urban/wildland interface, and bobcats are one of those animals that can coexist and live alongside humans, and benefit humans as well as other wildlife,” she says.
McDonald details the research her team at the Bay Area Bobcat Project is conducting, like the impacts of human development on the charismatic species.
“ We’re also measuring exposure to parasites, viruses, heavy metals and then stress hormones. And the DNA analysis we’re doing will help assess genetic diversity,” she says.
Among the myriad benefits bobcats provide to humans, including protecting against zoonotic diseases, McDonald says these creatures — which occur in every single U.S. state in the lower 48, except Delaware — are essential for ecosystems.
“ They naturally regulate prey populations, and they reduce the transmission of parasites, bacteria, viruses, and all of these that affect humans, domestic animals, and other wildlife.”
This article by Mike DiGirolamo was first published by Mongabay.com on 11 February 2025. Lead Image: A bobcat (Lynx rufus). Photo by ucumari photography via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
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