Fears of mistaken identity helped give the common bobcat some cover on the international market.

At a meeting this month of the UN group that oversees the wildlife trade, the United States proposed lifting restrictions on the international sale of the wildcats and their parts.

But the measure was rejected amid concerns that unregulated traffic in bobcats would take a toll on their more endangered lookalikes, particularly many species of rare lynx.

The decision still allows for the sale, with certain restrictions, of bobcats and their spotted pelts, which fetch high prices in the international fur trade.

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