Bobcat Sighting Confirmed at Prairie โOaks Metro Park, Reflects โคGrowing Ohio Population
Columbus, โขOH – December 5, 2025 – A bobcat was recently spottedโฃ at Prairie Oaks metro Park on November โฃ21, according to Columbus Metro Parks.The sighting highlights the increasing presence of these wildcats across Ohio,a โขpopulation that has rebounded significantly inโฃ recent decades.
Bobcats areโฃ native โto ohio,but โwere largely โabsent from the state by 1850,according to the Ohioโ Departmentโ of Natural Resources (ODNR). the animals began to make a โcomeback โคin the mid-1900s,and โtheir numbers haveโฃ steadily grown.Currently, the โคlargest bobcat populations areโค found in eastern and southern Ohio, but are expanding โขinto other areas.
ODNR data shows a dramatic increase in confirmed sightings. in 2001, there were โคonly six confirmed bobcat sightings statewide. By 2021, that number hadโข jumped to 561. Sightings are most frequently confirmed through trail camera images and reports of road-killed animals.
While bobcatsโ areโฃ considered “ambush predators” – typically lying in wait for prey and pouncing from short distances (rarely exceeding 60 feet) – they generally avoid humans. โขTheโ California Department of Fish andโข Wildlife notes they pose little threat to people orโค public health. However, theyโข do present a risk to smallโ pets and unattended livestock.
Their โคdiet consists of a variety of animals, โฃincluding insects, reptiles, frogs, fish, and โbirds. Inโ Ohio, rabbits, white-tailed โคdeer, and smallโค mammals โmake up โคthe bulk of their โmeals.Bobcats are โtypically solitary animals, only interacting with othersโ for breeding purposes.
The first modern sighting โin Franklin County, whereโค prairie Oaks Metro Parkโข is located, occurred in 2012. While sightings โremain less common โฃin โฃsouthwest Ohio (Butler and Hamilton counties), โคrecent observations of femalesโ with kittens suggest a small,โข resident population is establishingโค itself there. Sightings in โnorthern Ohio are still rare, though ODNR research indicates โขthat some areasโฃ could potentiallyโค support a future bobcat population.
Anyone interested โคin reporting aโ bobcat sighting can โcontact the โohio Department of Natural Resources.
Amani Bayo canโค be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.
(This story was updated to add a video.)
