What Are They Doing To Help Bobcats From Being Extinct?
The shy and solitary bobcat perhaps is the most recognizable cat in North America with its soft dense coat that ranges from light gray to reddish-brown in color. The coat of the bobcat can have random stripes or spots that are black or dark reddish brown in color. Generally, the coat is darker in color along the center of the back and whitish in color on the ventral, or under, side. The distinctive tail of the bobcat measures between 3 to 6 inches with many unclear dark bands and a black tip on the top part of the tail.
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Habitat
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At one time, the bobcat was found in every possible habitat across North America. It used to live in sage brush, desert, high mountains, swamps, rain forests and temperate forests. These cats do not live in places that experience heavy snowfall as their movements are hindered. The largest bobcat is found in Canada, while the smallest one is found in Mexico. Bobcats can be found in southern Canada and throughout the Western United States. Some bobcats also are found in Mexico. Indiscriminate killing and hunting, loss of habitat and subsequent disappearance of prey has made the bobcat extinct in many parts of Midwestern United States.
Reproduction
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The gestation period of the bobcat lasts for around 50 to 70 days, culminating in the birth of two to four kittens. The kittens are born with light markings on their backs and sides, and their faces have dark streaks that tend to fade as the kittens mature. The kittens are born with closed eyes that open around nine days after birth. They live on the mother's milk for about four months and when they are 5 months old, they accompany the mother on her hunting trips.
Female bobcats get sexually mature by the time they are 1 year old, while the males mature by the age of 2 years. Female bobcats settle down in territories close to their mothers, while the males travel long distances looking for unoccupied territories to settle down. They have a lifespan of around 12 to 13 years in the wild and more than 33 years in captivity.
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Near Extinction of the Bobcat
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In 1969, the U.S. Congress amended the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, which is known as the Endangered Species Conservation Act, to prevent import and sale of fur of animals that were facing extinction. This helped control the number of cat species that were being legally imported and sold into the United States. However, this same Act led to an increase in demand for spotted cat fur and the hunting of bobcats increased 10 times in a span of less than 15 years, which almost caused the extinction of the bobcat.
Bobcat Conservation Methods
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In 1977 the bobcat was included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, because of dwindling numbers due to indiscriminate hunting to meet international demands. However, at the time of publication, there has been some debate concerning the removal of the bobcat from Appendix II. Appendices I and II forbid and limit the commercial trade of a species, respectively.
Different states adopted conservation methods to help save the bobcat from extinction. In 10 states across the United States, the bobcat is a protected animal, as of the time of publication. In Canada, the hunting and trading of bobcat fur is highly regulated; while in Mexico, hunting of bobcats is regulated in five states, but bobcats that prey on livestock can be hunted down.
In 38 states in the United States and seven provinces in Canada, the bobcat can be legally harvested for its fur. The number of cats that can be harvested is controlled and regulated. There is hardly any illegal trade connected with bobcat fur. This has helped its numbers increase in the wild. However, a molecular forensic technique has been developed to check whether the pelts harvested and found in high-harvesting areas were actually illegally harvested from low-harvesting areas.
Bobcats in Zoos
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There are many bobcats living in zoos, but they do not breed very well in captivity. This could be due to lack of privacy, being in close proximity to humans, noise or any other factors that disturb them.
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