A new California study on bobcats identified vehicle collisions as the leading cause of death, underscoring the importance of nationwide efforts to build safer wildlife crossings.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife recently issued its most comprehensive look at bobcats living there in a 140-page report that took years to complete.

The study (California Bobcat Population Monitoring Project’s Report of Findings) was conducted to meet legislative requirements linked to the passage of California Assembly Bill 1254. Enacted in October 2019, the law makes it illegal to hunt, trap, or otherwise kill bobcats except in specific circumstances.

The CDFW is tasked with both managing and conserving bobcats (which are native throughout California) because the animals have an important role within the ecosystem.

Bobcats are important predators near the top of the food chain that keep in check other mammal populations.

“In ecosystems that have a short supply of predators, other animals tax the food supply and over populate. This means that nutritious food becomes scarce and the consumer population of animals becomes less healthy and more susceptible to disease and starvation. Predators like the bobcat keep this consumer population under control, thus creating a balance in nature,” says the National Park Service.

Primarily nocturnal creatures, bobcats have fewer predators. People, coyotes and mountain lions prey on adult bobcats. Younger bobcats can be killed by foxes, adult male bobcats, great horned owls, eagles, bears, raccoons and wolves.

The report, released in August, identified 62,000 bobcats living across California except in major cities and the Central Valley agricultural belt. Researchers used using such advanced methods as GPS satellite collars, camera traps, fecal DNA analysis and studying carcasses.

“What we’ve learned is that these charismatic wild felines are incredibly adaptable and can live in just about any part of the state,” Rachel Roberts, a senior environmental scientist, noted in an announcement about the report. She coordinates the CDFW’s bobcat activities statewide.

A CDFW fact sheet on bobcats describes the animals as two to three times as large as a domestic cat and only one-fourth the size of a mountain lion. Bobcats weigh an average of 17 to 25 pounds.

Report findings indicated the No. 1 cause of death for California’s bobcats was “trauma due to vehicular strike” while other fatalities included gunshot wounds, attacks by other animals and exposure to various pest-control chemical poisons (anticoagulant rodenticides).

Bobcats tend to avoid people and generally are public safety threats to pets, livestock and chickens.

“They can live in almost any type of terrestrial habitat. They’re strictly carnivores but will eat almost any kind of meat,” Roberts added. “And while the statewide population seems stable, various factors can cause local growth and decline.”

The life expectancy for bobcats varies from 3-10 years in the wild to up about 25 years in captivity.

California Wildlife Crossings Safeguard Traveling Public, Animals

Greater emphasis in California and elsewhere in the nation is being placed on creating safe roadway passages to deter vehicle collisions with wild animals.

California’s first major wildlife highway overpass above U.S. 97 in the northwest Siskiyou County has already attracted a bobcat and mule deer as well as other creatures to pass safely above the roadway. Animals were already using the crossing this summer as it neared full completion.

The single-span, 100-foot long by 140-foot wide overcrossing bridge was built in a project with Caltrans to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and connect terrain for animals, especially deer and elk.

Meanwhile, the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing overpass above U.S. 101 in Southern California is scheduled to open to wildlife Dec. 2.

This wildlife crossing will connect habitat lost for decades due to the freeway. The span will provide a key migration route for bobcats, deer, coyotes, endangered mountain lions and other wildlife.

Seeking Peaceful Coexistence

A recommendation in the bobcat report was to continue examining human-bobcat conflicts, while exploring how to better enable bobcats to coexist, especially with domestic animals and livestock.

“These spotted felines, sometimes considered to be elusive, have become more familiar to Californians as we build closer to their habitats, hike, bike, hunt, and fish in their home ranges, try to protect our chickens from their pesky claws, and become enamored by their presence on our home security cameras and in our neighborhoods,” the report stated.

California’s dual efforts to protect bobcats and also create wildlife crossings over roadways will benefit its animals as well as motorists.