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SPOTLIGHT: Dead bobcat sparks interest in wildlife

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  • CHRIS YOUNG/None
  • Originally published December 3, 2010 at 9:20 a.m., updated December 3, 2010 at 9:24 a.m.

PETERBURG, Ill. (AP) - A bobcat found dead along Illinois 97 near Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site has sparked renewed interest in the area's wildlife.

Tim Guinan, site superintendent of Lincoln's New Salem, discovered the bobcat Nov. 26.

The restored log cabin village, which showcases life on the Illinois frontier in the 1830s, is along the Sangamon River. Bald eagles nest nearby, and the site has plenty of deer and wild turkeys.

"Needless to say, there is quite a bit of wildlife here," Guinan says.

Guinan said increases in the diversity and abundance of local wildlife provide an opportunity to complement the site's human history with natural history.

"New Salem has a lot to offer on the natural resources side," he said.

The body of the adult female bobcat was found north of the park entrance near a creek that passes under the highway.

"She was walking along an old road and was going to cross 97 and come right up into my backyard," said Guinan, who lives at the park.

The presence of a bobcat has generated interest beyond the historic site.

"Since the word got out in Petersburg, I've been flooded with calls and messages asking, 'Is it true? Is it true?'" he said.

The bobcat's body has been frozen, and Guinan is waiting for permits from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources so he can send it to a taxidermist for mounting.

It eventually will be displayed in New Salem's visitor center.

Bobcats are secretive animals and might be more common than people realize.

According to a study conducted by the Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory at Southern Illinois University, bobcats have been reliably sighted at least once in 92 of the state's 102 counties, with 71 counties having three or more sightings.

Bobcats are most numerous in the southern third of the state. The study estimated there were about 3,200 bobcats south of Interstate 64 in 2009. They were removed from the Illinois list of threatened species in 1999.

Bobcats are about twice the size of a house cat, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources furbearer website. Adults measure 20-23 inches high at the shoulder and 30-35 inches long. They eat rabbits, squirrels, birds and rodents.

"Now we know that there has been a bobcat - and maybe plural - in this area," Guinan said. "We had a visitor report a mountain lion down by the grist mill about 14 months ago, and now what I'm thinking they saw was a bobcat."

The New Salem site extends on the east side of Illinois 97, where there is a boat ramp and a picnic area.

Some other portions of the property are remote and rarely used.

Guinan said the sighting has him thinking about other wildlife that might be using the site's wooded areas along the Sangamon River.

He said he wants to set up a game trail camera in one of the more remote areas to see if he can capture an image of another bobcat - or other wildlife.

"They've got plenty of area over there," Guinan said. "We've hardly ever explored it."

____

Online:

http://dnr.state.il.us/ORC/Wildlife/furbearers/bobcat.htm

___

Information from: The State Journal-Register, http://www.sj-r.com




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