First confirmed sighting of elusive cat promises hope for returning biodiversity

By Sam Norton

It’s not every day that someone makes a newsworthy ecological discovery while sitting in their bed, but that’s exactly what happened to me on a random November afternoon.

Earlier that day, I had spent an hour in the woods next to Miami University’s Western Campus downloading footage from trail cameras for a project headed by Miami professor of biology David Gorchov. The cameras were installed to allow for the observation of white-tailed deer.

I went home to watch the footage and take note of any activity on it. After over an hour of staring at footage of squirrels, birds and deer moving in and out of view, something suddenly caught my attention.

Right before my eyes, a fluffy tan creature jumped onto a fallen log, surveyed the immediate area, let out a snarl and then stalked out of frame. Its sharp ears, short tail and small stature instantly captured my attention and caused my train of thought to come to a grinding halt.

I quickly sat up in my bed and rewound the clip, playing it over and over again.

There was no doubt about it. I was watching crystal clear footage of a bobcat no more than a few hundred yards south of the pedestrian trail leading away from Peffer Park. I immediately took a screenshot to capture the footage and emailed professor Gorchov.

I did not know it at the time, but I quickly realized that what I had just watched was the first confirmed sighting of a bobcat in the Miami University Natural Areas.

The Miami University Natural Areas are located along the southern, eastern and northeastern edge of Miami’s campus and comprise over 1,000 acres of protected forest and other habitats. They are used for education, recreation and research by Miami students and staff.

The motion-sensing trail cameras that had been in the woods surrounding Miami were placed there to capture data on deer activity and their impact on various natural areas.

Overabundant deer in the Miami University Natural Areas pose a threat to the health of the ecosystem, and the frequency of deer spottings on the university's campus is proof of the problem.

Elea Cooper, a junior biology and sustainability major, set up the trail cameras in the summer of 2022 for her own research project in Gorchov’s lab. She hoped that by using trail cameras, she could get an estimate of the total number of deer in the Miami University Natural Areas.

After Cooper was done with the cameras, I was responsible for lowering them to observe what the deer ate as the low-hanging leaves that make up much of their diet started to fall. It was that lower camera height that allowed this first-of-its-kind video to be captured.

White-tailed deer are so abundant in the Natural Areas that Gorchov did not expect to see much else of interest on the cameras.

“I thought we might see coyotes or wild turkey,” Gorchov said. “There are some interesting animals in the Natural Areas, but it never occurred to me that we'd see a bobcat.”

“Since that time, there has been a pretty rapid change,” Dennison said. “The return of forests in Ohio is a huge factor.”

Since I started writing this story, at least 36 official sightings have been reported.

Although bobcats have made their way back to southwestern Ohio, they are still a rare sight in the wild. Dennison explained that areas with a mixture of forest and open space, along with natural vegetation, are ideal habitats for predators like bobcats.

Due to centuries of agriculture and the growth of large population centers in southwestern Ohio, though, much of the huge expanses of forest that once allowed bobcats to thrive have been demolished.

Bobcats were driven out of Ohio around the mid-1800s, according to Ohio Division of Wildlife furbearer biologist Katie Dennison.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife began monitoring the presence of bobcats in 1970, and for three decades, the state rarely recorded more than five verified sightings in a year. Butler County didn't record its first confirmed bobcat sighting until 2008.

While Dennison and her colleagues have labeled Butler County as having low habitat suitability, bobcats have proved to be resilient and made their way back to the areas of the state that they once called home.

Dennison suspects this species made its way from southeastern Ohio over to Butler County by following the forested corridors that exist along the Ohio River Valley.

Forested corridors are areas of habitat that connect wildlife populations amidst human activity and development. Segments of undeveloped forest and forested river banks located among vast stretches of agriculture and urbanization — such as the Miami University Natural Areas — make up these corridors that allow wildlife to safely traverse between habitats.

“Maintaining those forested corridors is important,” Dennison said. “In a pure sea of agriculture, you’re not going to have many bobcats sticking around.”

Bobcats have been observed breeding and have now established a population at an old nuclear power plant turned wildlife reserve near Ross Township. Ross sits along Route 27 just north of Cincinnati and a little over a 20-minute drive from Oxford.

Susan Hoffman, an associate professor of biology at Miami, has hypothesized about the specific routes bobcats could have taken north from the Ohio River.

Hoffman believes the bobcats have been using forests such as those next to Ross to travel toward Oxford. Specifically, she thinks they have been moving north through creek beds such as Four Mile Creek and other tributaries that feed into the Great Miami River.

Observing the spark of interest spread in the community after I found the trail camera footage has been very encouraging. The incredible interaction shows how many people are excited about this fascinating species becoming more commonplace in Butler County.

While this was the first bobcat spotted in the woods bordering Miami, it’s not the first time they have been seen in the surrounding areas. Hoffman has been keeping tabs on these cats in the greater Oxford area for the past few years.

“I have property a few miles outside of town, and my husband and I have seen bobcats twice there,” Hoffman said. “The fall 2021 semester we also had a game camera catch a photo of one at the Ecology Research Center at night.”

Since the news of this sighting was released, Hoffman and Gorchov have received several emails from residents in the surrounding area who have seen or captured footage of bobcats on their own property.

“In terms of effects, it’s great,” Hoffman said. “It’s a native species; it does belong here.”

According to Dennison, the Division of Wildlife states that observing individuals with young is a key sign that a species may be establishing a more permanent population in a certain area. She noted that this has been seen in Butler County, which indicates that bobcats are hopefully here to stay.

“There’s certainly a place for them in the ecosystem wherever there’s at least semi-natural forest,” Hoffman said.

Unfortunately, the Miami University Natural Areas have suffered over the past few years due to an explosion in the populations of white-tailed deer and the invasive bush species Amur honeysuckle.

In addition, Cooper has discovered that the tree seedlings in the Natural Areas are not currently at the density needed for the forest to survive long into the future. So although it is encouraging that this area is currently sustaining bobcats, more will need to be done to ensure that our forests stay healthy and natural.

If bobcats stick around, they could be part of the solution. If the predator goes after deer and other small animals, the native vegetation levels have the potential to increase and bolster the biodiversity of the forest, which, in turn, should allow it to survive longer into the future. This effect has been shown in studies within Yellowstone National Park involving wolves and elk.

“Having learned how sensitive the Natural Areas are has made the discovery more impactful because, hopefully, it's a sign of balance coming back,” Cooper said. ***

The discovery of such a rare and elegant species so close to Miami has brought an incredible amount of interest and recognition from the community for the Miami University Natural Areas.

After the trail camera footage of the bobcat was discovered and shared, sightings of these creatures in and around Miami's campus became increasingly popular.

Within a month, word spread, and the university wrote a story about my findings, which became the most-read article on Miami’s website with over 10,000 views. The news also spread to local Facebook groups within Oxford and was covered by newspapers in Cincinnati.

Still, this sighting serves as a stark reminder that we must continue to protect the Miami Natural Areas if we want healthy ecosystems for all sorts of species to thrive.

There are miles of trails available for students to explore, and developing an appreciation for the nature that surrounds us can ignite a desire to become involved in restoring our forest to its more natural state.

Supporting research within the Natural Areas and understanding how our choices as individuals and communities impact these natural systems is a great way to take the first step. We have an amazing local ecosystem; the excitement of native bobcats returning should only encourage us to continue our efforts to preserve and protect it.S