A Tour Guides View Of The Bobcat

By: Glenn Wilsey, Sr.

The cats of The Everglades are really the cats of the Southeastern United States. These cats range from just east of The Mississippi to South Carolina. Only one of these cats still inhabits all of this territory and more. That is the bobcat. The only other cat now inhabiting a very small part of this territory (with 95% of his territory taken away and inhabited by man) is the Florida panther.

The bobcat inhabits all of the southeast area and more. The bobcat is a tough little cat that has learned to adapt to man and his habitat. In most of the places we go in the country or the suburbs we might see the bobcats now and then.

As the population of the United States (and the world) grows, we move in on all animal habitats. There is no stopping the human population from growing and displacing the animals. As a naturalist, I believe we can expand our neighborhoods without harming the animals or their habitats. These days, we see so many different animals in the outer suburbs of our local communities. We frequently see racoons, armadillos, skunks, snakes, foxes, opossums and even bobcats.

Bobcats are also known to the locals as wild cats. The bobcats in many places are becoming nuisance animals. When left alone to roam totally unchecked, bobcats can damn near take over an area. When this happens, these tough little cats start killing and eating all the other animals in the area.

In an area in The Big Cypress National Preserve, at my best friend’s cabin (Bill Peacock at The Watermelon Lodge) the bobcats started to take over. They prey on small animals, birds and rodents. When there are too many of these cats they start eating all of the baby animals and birds.

At and around The Watermelon Lodge, the bobcats all most wiped out the turkey population. The other animals of the area got somewhat lucky when South Florida Water (miss) Management and The Army Corps of Engineers held too much water back and over flooded the area. The bobcat does not mind a little bit of water but he is not an aquatic animal and they sort of relocated themselves for a while. When the water recedes, the bobcats will be back and in greater numbers.

Bobcats are beautiful animals and are easy to observe because they have (to some extent) lost their fear of man. If you come to the cypress forest and take your time, there is a good chance you might see a bobcat or even a family of bobcats. There are some good places to go if you want to observe most of The Everglades’ animals. Some of my favorite places to observe wildlife are off Tamiami Trail (US 41) just west of Miami. Loop Road is one of them. Loop Road is a 20-mile dirt trail that starts where the cypress forest meets the river of grass. It “loops” for 20 miles through the cypress forest and ends back on Tamiami Trail at the Old Monroe Station. If you continue west on Tamiami Trail you will come to Turner River Road. Turner River Road will take you north to Alligator Alley.

Cindy Hudson, my good friend and a tour guide for Everglades Day Safari, Inc. (1-800-472-3069) Takes tourists around the area of Turner River Road. Cindy says she sees many deer, foxes, bobcats, alligators and otters on most of her tours. She is one of the most informative tour guides you could ever have the pleasure of spending time with and the tour guides at Gator Park say she’s really cool. By the time Cindy brings her guests to Gator Park for the airboat portion of their tour, they have seen many animals and many different parts of The Everglades and that makes our job so much easier. If you have any questions contact me at Gatorman1@aaof.us

NATURE RULES! GATORMAN

PS. If you would like to know about the plants, animals or anything in the everglades Please ask me and I will write a story about it or I will answer your e-mail within 24 hours. THANKS SO MUCH!!!!!!

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