Wanted: Bobcats Alive not Dead

This bobcat is worth 1000 times more alive than dead!

A study just published by Panthera and Wyoming Untrapped calculated the value of a single wild bobcat in Yellowstone National Park to the economy versus its value as a trapped / hunted animal. This particular bobcat that I photographed in January 2016 was regularly seen along the Madison River that winter and attracted many photographers, film makers and ecotourists.

The authors conservatively estimated an economic a value of over $300, 000 for this single animal in Yellowstone for the winter season 2015/2016, a figure around 1000 times greater than the average exploitative value (hunting license plus pelt value) of approximately $315 per bobcat trapped or hunted in Wyoming that same year.

Clearly this individual bobcat could generate similar levels of income in subsequent years, assuming it survives. I have seen and photographed bobcats along the Madison on three separate winter trips to Yellowstone in different years and of course it is probable there may be more than one, perhaps several visible bobcats.

The inescapable conclusion is that over the course of its life, one bobcat could generate well over $1 million in economic activity, shared across countless people involved in the wildlife, ecotourism and other industries.

For more information see
Wyoming Untrapped
Panthera
Washington Post