By DAVE COLLINS
Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - GPS collars on 50 bobcats across Connecticut are programmed to fall off Aug. 1, and state officials are asking the public for help finding them.

The collars are part of one of the largest studies on bobcats, which are among the Northeast's most ferocious predators. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is tracking the bobcats' movements.

Department wildlife biologist Jason Hawley says the research is important for conservation efforts because bobcats have more of an effect on animal species than any other predators in the region. Bobcats consume all sorts of small animals such as squirrels and rabbits and even deer.

Researchers want to find all the collars, recharge their batteries and put them on another 50 bobcats in the fall to continue the study.