Op-Ed: Bears, bobcats making Ohio’s wildlife population more diverse

February 12, 2006
By Al Smith

Ohio will never be confused with a state like Pennsylvania or the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for its diverse wildlife population.

The Buckeye state does not have elk like Pennsylvania or elk, moose or wolves that populate the U.P. And it doesn’t have the populations of bears, bobcats or snowshoe hare like these two states.

But some lesser known wildlife do populate Ohio, and some have been reintroduced in recent years.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

Snowshoe hare can be found in northeast Ohio, thanks to a trade with Michigan in which Ohio received some hares from the Seney National Wildlife Refuge.

River otters (from Louisiana) can be found in some of the state’s rivers.

Osprey are becoming more prevalent (especially in northwest Ohio) through a reintroduction program begun several years ago.

Black bears and bobcats have been among Ohio’s lesser-known wildlife. There have been sightings of these animals in the state the past several years.

The bears quite likely have wandered into Ohio from Pennsylvania and West Virginia. During 2005, the Ohio Division of Wildlife says 100 bear sightings were reported with 43 of those being confirmed. The DOW says the confirmed sightings involved about two dozen bears in 12 counties. Most of the sightings happened during the peak breeding season and the dispersal of young male bears in May, June and July.

Bears have been confirmed in 42 counties since the DOW began keeping records of bear sightings in 1993. A record 165 bear sightings occurred in 2002.

The DOW said bobcats quite likely returned to Ohio in the 1960s and were verified around 1970. While a bear is more easily verified because it’s easy to see, biologists verify bobcats by DOW personnel sightings, recovery of road kill along with incidental trapping of the animal as well as photographs of the cat and its tracks.

During 2005, the DOW confirmed 20 sightings of bobcats in the eastern and southeastern part of the state. During 2004, 14 sightings of bobcats were verified.

Both the black bear and bobcat are protected by state law in Ohio. So, too, are ospreys, otters and snowshoe hares.

Click here to read the entire op-ed from the Lima News.