URI student
documents elusive bobcats, other predators in Rhode Island
A bobcat photographed by a trail
camera last summer. (Photo courtesy of Amy Mayer)
When University of Rhode Island senior Ian O’Hara got his first look at a wild bobcat during a summer research project, the animal was much more attractive than he imagined.
“I thought it was going to be all
matted and gnarly, but it was beautiful, well-groomed and with an amazing
pattern on its fur,” he said. “It’s likeness to a domestic cat was
unbelievable, but larger.”
The bobcat had been captured as part
of what O’Hara called “an occupancy study” to learn about the distribution of
bobcats in Rhode Island, how widely they travel, how they use their territory,
and how many reside in the state.
O’Hara’s role was to conduct a trail
camera survey to capture photos of bobcats throughout the region. He placed 50
motion-activated cameras at random locations on public land, applied a scent
lure – which he described as smelling like “having a dead skunk in the
passenger seat of your car” – to a nearby tree, and recorded information in a
database about every animal that passed by the cameras.
Most of the hundreds of images were
of deer and coyotes, but the cameras also captured pictures of fishers, foxes,
raccoons and other animals. His favorite was of an adult coyote with five young
pups. Bobcats were few and far between.
“We detected bobcats on seven of the cameras,” said O’Hara. “They’re very elusive and very smart, which makes them hard to track. It seems like they have large territories, so they’re pretty spread out, though it’s hard to tell. Maybe they’re just camera shy.
“It’s great that they’re here,
though,” he added. “Bobcats are a native Rhode Island species that were hunted
and trapped and pushed out by development, so they weren’t very prominent in
the area. But now that we have conservation laws in place, they’re starting to
come back. And that’s a good thing.”
The research project was O’Hara’s
first experience conducting field research, and he said it was the perfect
project for him. He grew up hiking and camping, so he loves the outdoors.
“I hiked about five kilometers each
day three or four times per week, and it was great to be in the woods and be
active,” he said. “Some of the sites were in pretty rough places to get to. I
had to bushwhack through bushes, climb over rocks and go through poison ivy.
But I loved it.”
O’Hara’s research was part of a
multi-year study of bobcats led by URI researcher Amy Mayer. His work was
supported by the URI Coastal Fellows program, a unique initiative designed to
involve undergraduate students in addressing current environmental problems.
Now in its 22nd year, it is based at URI’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences. Students are paired with a mentor and research staff to help them gain skills relevant to their academic major and future occupations.
Now in its 22nd year, it is based at URI’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences. Students are paired with a mentor and research staff to help them gain skills relevant to their academic major and future occupations.
With just one year left in his
undergraduate education, O’Hara is already looking toward graduate school to
continue his studies in environmental science.
“Grad school is a means to an end,”
he said. “I hope to eventually find myself working in the field, maybe doing
habitat management, making sure the whole ecosystem is doing what it’s supposed
to be doing. Whether it’s for a government agency or an environmental group or
as a consultant, I don’t know. I’m open to all the possibilities.”