California has enacted a law that bans bobcat trapping and trophy hunting and mandates a science-based management plan that will maintain healthy bobcat populations across the state.
Bobcats are not considered a game animal, so they are generally hunted for trophy or fur. In the last ten years, more than 8800 bobcats have been killed in California, yet the state has not conducted a bobcat population count in over 40 years. Healthy bobcat populations have been found in some areas, but it is unknown what impact bobcat hunting has on the health of the species in counties where most bobcats are killed, or in the state as a whole. That is of even greater concern as the animals adapt to the impacts of climate change and habitat loss due to development.
Bobcats are considered a keystone species, which means their contribution to the health of ecosystems is disproportionately greater than the size of their population. Bobcats hunt prey as large as deer and as small as insects, but their role in stabilizing rodent populations is especially critical to a healthy ecosystem. When small mammal populations soar in number, it can impact vegetation, soil, and even invertebrates. Read more about bobcats here.
AB 1254 adds the bobcat to the list of regulated non-game animals, which includes mountain lions, raptors, bighorn sheep, and gray wolves. The law bans all bobcat hunting and trapping in California for five years and until certain requirements are met including the development and adoption of a management plan that will ensure the maintenance of healthy bobcat populations across the state.
This year, ForestWatch launched the Room to Roam campaign to protect bobcats and other species. We worked with our partners to support the bill, sponsored by Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles), and usher it through the Assembly and on to the Senate. We helped our supporters write and deliver letters of support to their representatives, and worked with our allies to bolster a robust media campaign in support of the bill.
ForestWatch will continue to fight for bobcats, mountain lions, and other wildlife throughout our region, giving them a chance at survival as they are increasingly pressured by development and climate change.
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