Research overview: notoedric mange epizootics in urban bobcat populations

Periodic outbreaks of notoedric mange have caused steep, localised declines in urban and suburban bobcat populations, most prominently in southern California. This overview synthesises research connecting these epizootics to anticoagulant-rodenticide exposure and associated immune dysfunction, alongside factors such as population density, stress and overlap with human development. It covers the clinical progression of the mange mite infestation, patterns of mortality, and the recovery dynamics of affected populations. The synthesis frames mange not as a purely natural disease but as a sentinel of toxicant flow through urban food webs, integrating disease ecology, toxicology and conservation management of a widespread mesopredator.