As a complement to ongoing research to estimate population density and space usage of NY bobcats (Lynx rufus), Dr. Jenny Bloodgood worked with collaborators Dr. Angela Fuller and her master’s student, Haley Turner, to examine bobcat health and investigate potential impediments to population growth. In the winters of 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, we trapped 26 bobcats that were included in the health study. We tested the bobcats for pathogens, including Cytauxzoon felis, feline leukemia virus, and SARS-CoV-2, as well as exposure to pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, Toxoplasma, parvovirus, canine distemper virus, and avian influenza virus. All 26 individuals were negative for C. felis. All tested bobcats were also negative for feline leukemia virus and SARS-CoV-2. Looking at the antibodies, however, 1/12 bobcats had evidence of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, 22/23 had exposure to Toxoplasma, 18/23 were exposed to feline parvovirus, and 16/23 were exposed to canine distemper virus. In a recently published report in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases, we assessed the presence of antibodies to avian influenza virus in 16 of the bobcats trapped during the first season. Nine of these individuals (56%) tested positive, and four of these were positive for antibodies to the influenza virus H5 and N1 proteins, which are the components of the currently circulating HPAI strain.
Movement data on these four bobcats showed that all remained alive until the time their GPS collars either dropped off or stopped communicating. One additional bobcat, which was negative for antibodies at the time of capture, died from highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 infection within 5 weeks. Our results demonstrate that while bobcats can survive exposure to avian influenza virus, they can also succumb to infection, and avian influenza virus may represent a threat to bobcat population health. Interestingly, results from eight bobcats trapped during the second season were all negative for influenza antibodies; most of these were from a similar location to antibody-free individuals trapped during the first season.
Our work overall shows that bobcats in NYS face a variety of health challenges and highlights the importance of collaborative studies pairing monitoring data with health examinations to holistically inform management decisions surrounding hunting and trapping seasons. Keep an eye out for more information on NY bobcat health in the future!
Podcast: Bobcats and Bird Flu: Research Insights Emerging from Cornell
Recent publication:
Turner, H. M., Fuller, A. K., Twining, J. P., Hitchener, G. R., Fadden, M. A., Stallknecht, D. E., Poulson, R. L., Carter, D. L., Watson, M. B., Schuler, K. L., & Bloodgood, J. C. (2025). Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus exposure and infection in free-ranging bobcats (Lynx Rufus) in New York, USA. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 61(2). https://doi.org/10.7589/jwd-d-24-00137
