Zara McDonald: Our experience over many years is that the more people know and understand wildlife species and these cats. And their role in the ecosystem, the benefits to humans, and the fact that they really, at the end of the day, don’t want anything to do with us. They work very hard to avoid humans and everything that is, you know, related to humans. However, the public in general is, unless we’re constantly pushing out information at the public, they tend not to understand the very basics of the fact that they’re not at risk, they’re not in danger, you know, these animals are really essential to a healthy ecosystem. But they’re also essential to public health

Mike DiGirolamo (narration): Welcome, to the Mongabay Newscast. I’m your co-host, Mike DiGirolamo. Bringing you weekly conversations with experts, authors, scientists, and activists. Working on the front lines of conservation. Shining a light on some of the most pressing issues facing our planet. And holding people in power to account. This podcast is edited. Today on the Newscast, we speak with Zara McDonald, a biologist and founder of the Felidae Conservation Fund, which works on global research and conservation of Felidae species of wildcats. Over the past decade, they launched the Bay Area Bobcat Project studying bobcats’ health and human development’s impact on the species. Our conversation today focuses on the bobcat, which has rebounded significantly over the past 125 years, from a dwindling population to as many as 3.5 million in the United States alone, becoming North America’s most common wildcat. McDonald talks about the factors that play into the situation, such as the bobcats’ ability to exist at the urban/rural interface due to their intelligent and resourceful nature. She also emphasizes the importance of bobcats for ecosystems and their ability to protect human health by decreasing the spread of zoonotic diseases and viruses. But she identifies they are vulnerable to human impacts through hunting, habitat loss, and rodenticides. We also discussed the larger topic of human-wildlife coexistence, how misinformation hurts human’s relationships with animals, and what she wishes more people knew about wildcats.

Mike: Zara, welcome to the Mongabay Newscast. It’s great to have you with us.

Zara: Thanks, Mike. It’s good to be here.

Mike: So, we have some really good news to explore here today, and we’re gonna talk about bobcat populations. They have rebounded, and there’s several million of them in North America. So, can you talk about this rebound? What accounts for it?

Zara: Basically, bobcats are, I guess what I would be talking about mostly is from a perspective of California, which is where we work. Where we study bobcats and, you know, urban encroachment throughout the country, especially in areas of California, have fragmented wildlife habitat. So that pushes carnivores, like bobcats, toward the urban/wildland interface. And so, what happens when that occurs, which has been happening over many years, is this increases human wildlife encounters. So, this, again, you know, there are multiple reasons that there’s a downside to that. You know, we’re going to see a conflict we’re going to see conflict from pet attacks, from hobby animal attacks such as chickens. And otherwise, people have this of misdirected fear towards a mesocarnivore, which bobcats are, just a middle sized carnivore. That’s generally misinformed, and they don’t really understand the role that bobcats play in ecosystems. But overall, they tend to thrive at the urban edge, which is what we’re learning about bobcats. So, there are a couple of mesocarnivores 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.

Mike: So, from the California perspective, why do you think populations have rebounded so much recently?

Zara: I wouldn’t say that, you know, I think there’s a perception that they’ve, you know, rebounded tremendously, but I would probably push back a little bit on that. I think they’re healthy. However, there’s been, especially in California, there’s been regulation which has prevented or prohibited hunting.

Mike (narration): It should be noted here that at the start of the 20th century in North America, bobcat populations were pretty close to zero, and today they number somewhere between 2. 5 and 3. 5 million, though this estimate is from 2011. In California, where Zara is located, bobcats are estimated to be between 70,000 and 100,000, which is considered robust. This is partly why state officials are considering lifting their five-year ban on bobcat hunting, though you will hear Zara’s reasons why she’s concerned about this.

Zara: Now that is again there’s a new consideration at play that could change that. And so, bobcats could once again be in the spotlight for, you know, there could be resumed hunting in California. So, they’re looking at that right now. And I think it would be unfortunate for several reasons. But I think we do need to look more carefully at the populations from a scientific perspective and what is a level population for bobcats and we don’t, you know, we have general baseline data on bobcats, but it’s not especially updated in the state. So, we have lots of individual studies ongoing that are looking at various questions around bobcats, but we don’t actually have hard numbers on, the bobcats that, at least that we’re looking at the urban edge. I would say in general, lots of benefits that bobcats are going to bring they promote biodiversity and they, they actually control disease. We’ll get into that, but they provide so many benefits that, you know, there’s a kind of a, a protection that bobcats have against disease, so that’s going to take them down very easily, but they also, you know, I guess if you could compare them to some, a creature like mountain lions, which are very low density mountain lions you know, there are more severe impacts to lions when you bring more people on a landscape, but bobcats have smaller home ranges. I think what we’re more concerned about in this landscape here is say if they reinstate hunting. What that’s going to do to not only bobcat populations, but the role they play in the ecosystem. And, you know, there’s so many benefits that bobcats bring to an ecosystem that I think it’s important for people to kind of understand that, yes, they’ve recovered, but I think California is not hunted. You know, they’ve not had an active sport hunt.

Mike: Yeah, let’s talk about those benefits they bring them. What are the benefits that Bobcats bring?

Zara: Well, so, bobcats are disease defenders. You know, they control infectious diseases, and they maintain biodiversity’s dilution effect. So, they prey on animals that contribute to the spread of pathogens. So, we can take that into the topic of zoonotic diseases. The COVID 19 pandemic highlighted the devastating consequences of zoonotic diseases. So, you know, this continues to pose threats globally and, you know, we could talk about Lyme disease, we could talk about West Nile virus, dengue, hantavirus, they’re silent public health guardians. So, 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. So, this essential role that bobcats are playing in ecosystems, you know, it comprises this stealthy predator, and they provide this absolutely invaluable ecological service that supports this, you know, much healthier environment because they are there, and it minimizes the risk of zoonotic disease outbreaks. There’s a whole other level of detail we can go into about how that happens, but they feed on all of the, they feed on the primary reservoirs, so they feed on the rodents and they feed on other mesocarnivores, raccoons. and rabbits. And so, these are reservoirs for disease. So, by feeding on those, they dilute the disease effect. And that’s a very powerful contribution to the ecosystem on the part of bobcats.

Mike: Is that because, so it’s giving less opportunity for humans to interact with pathogen carrying animals is what you’re saying.

Zara: Correct. Yeah. So say by preying on herbivores you know, again, rabbits, rodents, and mesocarnivores they regulate these populations. So they, what they do is they keep the disease low in the system, and, you know, say they, they help curb Lyme disease, and by preying on white footed mice, bobcats reduce the primary reservoirs for Lyme disease, so they lower likelihood of ticks transmitting Borrelia bacteria to humans they, you know, there’s a, there’s a scientific study that was, I think it was 2022 in the Bay Area that showed lower Lyme infection rates in areas where there’s diverse predator populations.

Mike (narration): The study in question is local community composition drives avian Borrelia burgdorferi infection and tick infestation. A link has been provided in the show notes.

Zara: And so, this sort of reinforces Bobcat’s role in disease mitigation because the areas that were studied Were these areas that, you know, primarily had bobcats moving. We have pockets in the San Francisco Bay Area where, you know, lions really are not moving around much anymore, and we have bobcats acting as apex predators in those areas.

Mike: Now I have to mention this because it’s definitely a concern, especially for the United States right now, but do bobcats, would they have any potential benefit for helping curb the spread of avian influenza by any chance?

Zara: It is very possible, so yes. I mean, because bobcats are dead end hosts, so they don’t serve as efficient hosts for certain pathogens. And you could look at these viruses, and so what you see is they block disease transmission. So, they prevent pathogens from replicating effectively. They reduce vector borne disease transmission. And, you know, this leads directly to avian flu. So, they lower disease spread by consuming vectors. So, they prey on the animals, again, like rodents that harbor ticks. And by eating the rodents, they directly reduce the tick population. You know, they’re for the potential for disease. They alter host behavior. So, this is, you know, they, they make them less accessible to the vectors. So, they scare birds into trees and they reduce their exposure to lyme carrying ticks. So, yeah, when you think about bird flu, absolutely, they can reduce the spread. The problem is cats are, you know, there’s, there’s a near 100 percent mortality rate for cats from avian flu. So this is another concern is, you know, of, of reverse zoonoses as well as zoonoses. But, yeah, so, it’s, it’s a little tricky, and bobcats are at risk from domestic animals.

Mike (narration): Hey listeners, thank you as always for listening. We here at Mongabay work diligently to bring you leading news and research globally from nature’s frontline and the intersection of human rights and at a time when independent nonprofit news is more important than ever. Mongabay’s content is completely free. Because we rely on the generosity of our supporters. You too can help support us by donating directly. If you want to do this, navigate to Mongabay. com and click on the donate button in the upper right corner of the screen. Thank you very much. And back to our conversation with Zara McDonald.

Mike: So, a lot of the work that you do focuses on, you know, the human/urban interface between these, these wildcats. What other benefits, other than helping block the spread of zoonotic diseases, are you noticing?

Zara: Well, so, bobcats actually shift the movement patterns of other wildlife. And, you know, simply by being on the landscape, they will again, by keeping those smaller herbivore numbers in check, I’d say that’s the most powerful benefit they provide. Otherwise, I mean, they’re not, you know, they don’t attack humans. They’re, they’re very benign mesocarnivores. So, people’s reaction to bobcats are quite positive. You know, I think you do have this misinformation that circulates around any kind of predator and sort of bobcats get roped into that. And, you know, the problem is people that don’t understand that bobcats are really not going to attack your dog or your, or yourself. That, you know, we don’t, you know, if you let your cats outside, your domestic cats outside, there may be another story. But in general, they are very efficient. They tend to not contract disease easily, but they also don’t get acclimated. You know, they’re not approaching humans. They’re not getting used to humans. They’re not comfortable around humans. So that’s another powerful thing that as you see these urban landscapes increasing and more and more human populations, more humans recreating, bobcats are not comfortable around people. And that continues to be the case.

Mike: Interesting. I want to give you a chance to sort of highlight the work that the Felidae Conservation Fund does. Can you tell us about can you tell us about the fund and some of the work that you do?

Zara: Felidae Conservation Fund is a global research and conservation organization. We’ve been working since 2006 internationally on felidae species we select strategic projects to focus on, and we work. Throughout California, we work in a few other areas of the U. S. as well as South America and Asia and Africa. And so the different cat species we work on, there’s, the reason we work on the Felidae family is because there’s just an overlap of all these species. And all felid species are either threatened or endangered around the world. So, it’s just a good family to focus on. And so, our work in California focuses on mountain lions and bobcats. And we have a long term project ongoing for both species. And for bobcats, that’s the Bay Area Bobcat Project, but that’s now extended to Southern California as well. And that project is really looking at a number of research questions around, how is bobcat activity changing over time, where are bobcats most frequently sighted. How do human bobcat conflicts occur and how can they be mitigated? You know, and that usually comes in the form of stealing chickens or something that’s not protected adequately. How does human disturbance impact bobcat tolerance? We look at how puma habitat use influences bobcats. So, there’s a lot of interesting things going on there. And how do bobcats at the urban/wilderness Interface show signs of compromised health? And this is a newer project that we started a pilot for two years ago, which is the Wildcat Health Project. And so, what we’re looking at with bobcats as well as pumas in California is what are the health metrics? So human expansion has impacted bobcat health. So that is, in itself, increasing risks of zoonotic spillover from domestic animals. So, toxoplasmosis is one that we’re looking closely at. And toxoplasmosis is quite interesting and important because it raises dopamine levels and changes behavior of those infected. So, in the case of a bobcat or a mountain lion, it will make them take riskier behaviors. So that means more likely to potentially take a pet or get into trouble in human urban environments. So, and that’s something that also can be transmitted from domestic animals to wild cats as well. So, we’re looking at those levels. This is like a long-term study to look at health trends. These two native wildcats in California. And so, we’re measuring exposure to parasites, viruses, heavy metals and then stress hormones. And the DNA analysis we’re doing will help assess genetic diversity. So, we have some inbreeding going on, concerns going on with mountain lions in California. That’s not an issue for bobcats thankfully. However, we are looking at just the level of genetic diversity we’re seeing in California. So, our pilot studies have established baseline data for those health metrics and we are just starting on a five year study now for that. So, we collect data noninvasively and our data collection methods are primarily camera trap arrays, as well as fecal surveys, and fecal and hair surveys. And so, we’ll look at a number of things with the fecal and hair surveys, but we collect those data across multiple landscapes, national parks, state parks, county parks, land trusts, private lands, and these cameras help us track movement and behavior while we can also analyze how habitat variables influence their activity. The data also explore interactions with their prey, you know, puma and presence. So, looking at how human activities actually impact them.

Mike: That sounds like a massive undertaking and exciting also. Beyond what we’ve already discussed, are there any trends that you’ve, you said you just found a baseline, but are there any trends you’re noticing that you can detail for us that we haven’t already talked about?

Zara: We know that there are pockets of the urban areas we’re looking at. Where pretty much all these animals are impacted by not only anticoagulant rodenticides, continue to be affected by those despite regulations.

Mike (narration): Commercially available rat or mouse poison, like D-Con, is what Zara is referring to here. These are rodenticides, and they are one of the biggest threats to bobcats. Mice and rats factor largely into their diets. So, when a mouse or a rat ingests the poison, it can take more than a week for them to die. And in the meantime, predators that feast upon them, like bobcats, can ingest that poison along with them. So, you might want to think twice before using rodenticide in your garage or your garbage bins.

Zara: And they are also look, we’re also looking at high stress levels, so high cortisol levels. And that would be, that would be fitting for these animals living in the urban. environments and navigating human roads and human towns and human residential areas. It’s very stressful for them to, you know, if you compare that to wilderness. And so beyond that, the toxoplasmosis is very interesting to us because we are seeing prevalence of that throughout the study areas we work in.

Mike: So, you’re noticing elevated cortisol levels in places where normally you wouldn’t expect to see them?

Zara: We are, when you, when we compare cortisol levels of bobcats in wilderness areas to urban areas, we are seeing much higher levels in urban areas. So yes, we would. And we are seeing that. However, the problem with high cortisol levels is it compromised their immune system. So, once their immune systems are compromised, they’re less able to fend off some of these diseases that they can naturally, you know, fend off easily.

Mike: So obviously biodiversity corridors and wildlife corridors are really essential to many many species. Can you talk about their importance for bobcats? What would you want listeners to know about biodiversity corridors in California in regards to the species?

Zara: Yeah, they’re essential in California and more and more. We have, you know, incredible numbers of wildlife hit on freeways throughout California. The complexity with doing the correct research to determine where these corridors need to go takes time but it’s essential. And I think part of the research looks at the largest predator that is to be considered for these corridors, which in this case is mount lions. And that tends to be pretty solid because bobcats move in the same areas and in the same, somewhat same patterns. But bobcats are hit often on roadways. So, I guess corridor wise you know, they’re essential. Lots of data needs to be collected along with modeling for those to be correctly determined and, you know, I think California is now on the right track to really allocate correct amounts of funding to this. It took them a long time to get on that page, but we’re now on that page, so we have lots of different groups working on collecting those data and then, you know, assessing where those crossings need to be. But they are absolutely essential for bobcats as well as other wildlife.

Mike: Yeah. I mean, we’re putting more resources towards reporting on biodiversity corridors, so I especially would be really excited to see how the state evolves. Just generally speaking, how do you feel about the state of California’s commitment as it were to protecting the environment? Where do you see the trajectory going here?

Zara: Yeah, that’s a great question. I think it’s mixed. I think  in general, I’m very concerned about mountain lions, in the state, given that we now have, their candidate species for the California Endangered Species Act. So that’s something that’s concerning us because we’re seeing early signs of inbreeding and that directly points to a lack of genetic diversity, obviously, and corridors play a role in that, but also, you know, the fragmented habitat that continues to further fragment doesn’t help the case. I think I’m concerned about bobcats and if hunting resumes in California. I think that there’s a point at which the ecosystems, you know, well. I think that the state itself has, managed a fine balance for the ecosystems. However, I feel like we may be approaching a tipping point, and I’m concerned about, especially the two field species for those reasons.

Mike: And when you say ‘tipping point,’ what do you mean by that?

Zara: So for mountain lions in particular, if we lose populations due to inbreeding, you know, that can happen pretty quickly, and you know, if you also combine any impacts from say reverse zoonoses or any, anything, we’ve had some very concerning, deaths in the last year or so that still are unexplained, that are some type of virus or pathogen that has killed, a number of animals. And so, if something like that were to also move through the system in parts of California, that would also put them at greater risk. But, you know, I think I’m concerned mostly about the inbreeding that we’re seeing because that, as you know, would potentially lead to a situation like Florida. And you know, that’s tricky if you get to that point and we’re seeing that in specific populations of California, not all of them. So, if you go up north of the state, closer to Oregon, that’s not happening.

Mike: And for listeners who may be unfamiliar, can you briefly describe what happened in Florida?

Zara: Yeah, the Florida panther had such low diversity that the population was, there were actually very disturbing inbreeding signs and different physical characteristics that would show up in the lions that were obviously not healthy and showing that the genetic diversity was all but gone. So, they started to, they infused them with Texas genes. And once they did that, the population rebounded nicely. However, Florida has, you know, the problem Florida has now is the lions are doing very well. The panthers are doing very well. However, uh, there’s not, you know, there’s, they’re also killed on roadways. And there’s not a lot of room for them to expand because the surrounding states don’t want them back. So that also yeah, so that also introduces a little bit of trickiness for Florida which is not California’s problem, but yeah, there are things we could do if it got to that. I just you know, I think that’s my biggest concern we’ve been very fortunate to have good biodiversity and in the San Francisco Bay Area, especially and these species have managed to persist, you know, through lots of persecution over years, but also through various issues that can potentially compromise their habitat in ways that will make it difficult for them to, you, I think, live as they have. I think we’re seeing a lot of this habitat changing dramatically. And what we see in the research we’re doing is, you know, bobcats are impacted but not quite as seriously because their home ranges are so small compared to mountain lions. So they can actually do really well in a small two by two miles, you know, square mile radius. If they have to, it’s not ideal, but they can. We’ve reduced mountain lion home ranges so much that, you know, just forcing them to kind of overlap with each other more and more. But also, just not having that contiguous habitat, which has compromised. In some ways, their health, body condition, as well as their ability to just navigate urban environments.

Mike: I think I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention wildfires, which have been such an increasingly consistent problem for the state of California and in a very tragic way, obviously. What are the implications here for wildcats such as bobcats or mountain lions for that matter?

Zara: Right, right. So, the implications are several fold terrible, potential outcomes. The initial outcome after a wildfire, as we’ve had several northern and southern California fires, are that the wildlife can either get trapped, in the wildfire area and paws can get burned, then they can die that way, and they can’t move to get out. They can escape when they leave the area and they may move into areas they don’t normally move and that can create human wildlife conflict. They also will leave the area and sometimes come right back and you know, these, these burned landscapes, we’ve had both happen where mountain lions and bobcats will come back the very next day after a fire, or, you know, within a few days, and they’ll be moving through, and the problem is their prey are gone, so they don’t stick around, and they will eventually that landscape takes a while to recover, longer than you would think. And so, then they have to move somewhere else, which will overlap with other existing populations. There could be interspecific strife that leads to the interspecies death. And I think that the conflict with humans can happen just as wildlife could move into urban landscapes and where they’re not normally moving say in Los Angeles right now. We’ve seen several videos of lions trying to escape or move rapidly through areas. And lions could end up moving into residential areas in, say, south in Orange County, where they’re not used to moving, where there’s already a population there. And that can also raise alarms in people that are not used to seeing wildlife. So, I guess getting the word out to the general population that this is an unusual time. Wildlife’s going to be moving in very different ways from normal, so please, have tolerance for these animals while they’re trying to figure it out. But, you know, overall, I think that the impacts of the fire-ridden landscape are concerning because that is happening more and more. And so, they’re bigger and bigger fires. They’re more and more powerful. And they’re also touching and impacting more and more of these wild cat species, you know, wildlife and wild cat species.

Mike: This is my last question for you, Zara, and I think it kind of hits on the general theme here. You’d mentioned that panthers are were recovering somewhat in Florida, but the neighboring states don’t want them back. And so, this concept of human wildlife coexistence seems like a pretty salient topic here. What do you have to say about it? Do you wish more people would try to live more harmoniously with wildcats or wildlife in general?

Zara: Absolutely. I think the biggest thing that is holding that back is just sort of lack of awareness in general. Our experience over many years is that the more people know and understand wildlife species and these cats, and their role in the ecosystem, the benefits to humans, and the fact that they really, at the end of the day, don’t want anything to do with us. They work very hard to avoid humans and everything that is, you know, related to humans. However, the public in general is, unless we’re constantly pushing out information at the public, they tend not to understand the very basics of the fact that they’re not at risk, they’re not in danger, you know, these animals are really essential to a healthy ecosystem. But they’re also essential to public health. And I think that’s the message we’re trying to get out more, which is they are such ecosystem masters. You know, and they nurture these, these systems so that humans benefit in tremendous ways. And we want people to know that, because that’s not something that is, you know, it may be counterintuitive. It’s not something you would know unless you understand how that all plays out. But that’s something that would lessen human wildlife conflict. I do believe there’s too much misinformation that circulates in the general media and there are inflammatory articles that come out about these species which make the researchers, our outreach much more difficult. We’re constantly kind of countering some of the negative reporting on wild felid species, which is just difficult.

Mike: Well, Zara McDonald, thank you so much for joining me to speak with us about bobcats and wildcats in general. It’s been a pleasure speaking with you.

Zara: You bet. Thanks, Mike.

Mike (narration): If you want to check out Mongabay’s reporting on small cats or information regarding the Felidae Conservation Fund or the Bay Area Bobcat Project, please see the episode summary and links in the show notes.  As always, if you’re enjoying the Mongabay Newscast or any of our podcast content, and you want to help us out, we encourage you to spread the word about the work we’re doing here by tell a friend, by telling a friend, and leaving a review on the podcast platform you’re tuning in on. Word of mouth is the best way to help expand our reach, but you can also support us by becoming a monthly sponsor via our Patreon page at patreon.com/Mongabay. Mongabay is a non-profit news outlet, so even pledging a dollar per month really does make a big difference, and it helps us offset production costs. So, if you’re a fan of our audio reports from Nature’s Frontline, go to Patreon.com/Mongabay to learn more and support the Mongabay Newscast. But you can also read our news and inspiration from Nature’s Frontline at Mongabay. com, or you can follow along with us on social media. Find Mongabay on LinkedIn at Mongabay News, and on Instagram threads, Blue Sky, Mastodon, Facebook, and TikTok, where our handle is at Mongabay, and on YouTube @Mongabay TV. Thank you, as always, for listening.