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Bobcat sightings on rise in Buckeye State
Columbus, Ohio - Evidence of bobcats living in Ohio's eastern and southeastern counties continues with the confirmation of 14 sightings by state wildlife officials during 2004, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. This represents an increase from the 10 verified sightings in 2003.
The bobcat was found throughout Ohio during early settlement, but as land was converted for crops and communities the bobcat's population declined. By 1850, the animal could no longer be found living in the state. A handful of unverified sightings in the 1960s marked the bobcat's unofficial return to Ohio. Since 1970, state wildlife biologists have verified 74 bobcat sightings in 32 counties.