Could curiosity save the bobcat?

Many people call the picturesque Santa Monica Mountains and Hollywood Hills home, but not all residents benefit from human development. Learn about one who doesn’t–the bobcat–from “urban carnivore” expert Laurel Klein at Temescal Gateway Park.

Each bobcat requires a fairly large “home range” to hunt and reproduce, according to Klein’s website. When human development encroaches, a cat’s habitat is altered, and it can find itself in the midst of a challenging urban environment.

“It’s pretty easy in Topanga,” says Klein, “but harder in places like Beverly Hills or Bel Air. There is a lot of habitat fragmentation. They have to cross busy roads like Mulholland or Beverly Glen.”

Bobcats, which can grow to 40 pounds or more, rarely threaten humans and will generally flee if approached, according to Los Angeles Animal Services. The main threat they pose is to small animals, or if they are sick, cornered, or protecting their young. Even then, local officials have not encountered many issues.

“Our experience with bobcats is that they are never a problem, unless you own a chicken farm or something,” said Ray Smith, deputy director of the L.A. County Weed Hazard and Pest Management Bureau. “Coyotes are much more of a risk around here.”

If you want to know more, just ask Klein, who has been researching bobcats and other carnivores of L.A. County since 2006. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology through a joint program from UCLA and the National Park Service. On Tuesday, she will present the results of her studies, lecture on protecting the cats, and show off some of her best pictures.

Her talk, “Get to Know the Locals: Bobcats,” is the latest installment of “Culture in the Canyon at the Chautauqua,” a free program sponsored by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and presented by the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority. The series takes place the third Thursday of each month.

The bobcat presentation is at 7:30 p.m. this Tuesday, August 16. It takes place in Woodland Hall at Temescal Gateway Park, just off the PCH in Pacific Palisades. Parking is free for the event.

If you can’t make it there but want to help local bobcats anyway, you can always donate to conservation efforts, or just follow this tip:

“Avoid using rat poisons,” says Klein. “There is a lot of rat poison used around homes. We know that bobcats and many other species have died from exposure to it.”

Posted 8/11/11