Understanding how to support a growing human population while sustaining wild species requires information on the movement and distribution patterns of animals living near people. Because bobcat use a diversity of habitats (e.g., forests, farm fields, parks & backyards) and eat a diversity of prey, their habitat preferences and travel corridors are believed to represent the needs of many other wildlife species. Maintaining intact bobcat habitat may therefore serve to conserve a diversity of wildlife species in rural Virginia landscapes.
Since January 2023, Virginia Tech researchers have been tracking bobcats on land in western Albemarle County. 50 cameras and 14 traps have been set up on land between Charlottesville and Shenandoah National Park. Once a bobcat has been caught, it is examined, given a lightweight tracking device, and re-released. Satellites indicate locations every two hours, providing detailed data revealing the bobcats’ movement patterns. These patterns can then be used to identify habitats which best enable bobcat survival and their preferred corridors connecting those areas. An umbrella species with a large range, the facilitation of bobcat movements can facilitate the movement of other species. Therefore, by identifying the preferred habitats and corridors of bobcats, we can protect not only bobcats, but wildlife across Virginia.
This project is being developed in collaboration with Virginia Tech, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, and the Albemarle Natural Heritage Committee.
Since January 2023, Virginia Tech researchers have been tracking bobcats on land in western Albemarle County. 50 cameras and 14 traps have been set up on land between Charlottesville and Shenandoah National Park. Once a bobcat has been caught, it is examined, given a lightweight tracking device, and re-released. Satellites indicate locations every two hours, providing detailed data revealing the bobcats’ movement patterns. These patterns can then be used to identify habitats which best enable bobcat survival and their preferred corridors connecting those areas. An umbrella species with a large range, the facilitation of bobcat movements can facilitate the movement of other species. Therefore, by identifying the preferred habitats and corridors of bobcats, we can protect not only bobcats, but wildlife across Virginia.
This project is being developed in collaboration with Virginia Tech, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, and the Albemarle Natural Heritage Committee.
Check out these recent media articles featuring the project!:
NBC29 News: www.nbc29.com/video/2023/04/24/virginia-tech-biologists-researching-bobcat-habitats-albemarle-county/ NPR: www.wvtf.org/news/2023-04-20/scientists-track-bobcats-in-virginia-hoping-to-protect-them-and-other-wildlife |
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