Wildlife disease specialists with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recently received confirmation that an adult bobcat died from the Eurasian strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1. This is the first detection of the virus in a wild mammal in the state.Notwithstanding this detection, infection of wild mammals with avian influenza viruses appears to be relatively rare.

Climate change will make for more frequent wild swings in California weather, with both more extremely dry and extremely wet years and 'weather whiplash' in between.