Wildlife advocates worry new rule threatens bobcat population
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Bobcats were previously thought extinct in Indiana. Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Wildlife experts say Indiana's new rules around bobcat hunting could threaten the animal's population in the state.
Why it matters: Once thought extinct in Indiana, the apex predators have rebounded in recent decades. They play an important ecological role in the state, cleaning up the environment by eating pests, rodents and bugs and animals that can cause disease.
Driving the news: Indiana's Department of Natural Resources will allow Indiana hunters to take up to 400 bobcats this fall, up from 250 last year, marking the state's first bobcat hunting season since 1969.
- The state is also expanding hunting methods, allowing for trophy hunting this year, in addition to trapping.
Zoom in: Bobcats, Indiana's only native wild cat, are common in southern and parts of central Indiana. Adults typically stand about 2 feet tall and weigh 15 to 30 pounds.
- They had been considered an endangered species for decades after being hunted to near extinction.
- When they were delisted in 2005, it was considered a conservation success story. Now, wildlife advocates are worried history will repeat itself.
What they're saying: Samantha Chapman, Indiana state director for Humane World for Animals, said the state hasn't provided sufficient scientific evidence to support the increase in the quota.
- A recent DNR report on bobcats finds that a quota of 400 or more could wipe out the population in a decade.
- "They're Hoosiers. They belong here," Chapman said. "Completely eliminating them again is a reckless thing to do."
The other side: "The proposed quota is set to responsibly manage and decrease conflicts with Indiana's bobcat population in the 40 counties with high-quality bobcat habitat, while maintaining a strong bobcat population in Indiana," Marty Benson, Indiana's DNR spokesperson, told Axios in an email.
- DNR reports more bobcats getting hit by cars or conflicting with farmers.
What's next: The increased quota will be in effect for the upcoming season, which starts in the fall, under an interim rule.
- Public comment on making the rule permanent will open on July 22 and run through Aug. 27, with a public hearing scheduled at the Fort Harrison Inn.