Archive for the 'Animals' Category

News from Washington.

“I’ve lived in Tacoma for 20 years. We’re experiencing definitely more activity,” said Sierra.

[ … ]

Fish and Wildlife suggest if people run into an aggressive coyote, make yourself look big, put your hands in the air and throw things at the animal if they get aggressive.

How about shooting them?  Oh, I see, you can’t discharge a firearm within the city limits without being considered a criminal by the cops.  Well, maybe there’s the answer to the question, yes?

NBC:

Here’s a new Rocky matchup for you: It’s Rocky the dog versus the bear!

Pictures snapped by the dog’s owner show the tense moments between a pet and the wild animal in Wolcott.

Animal control says they’ve never seen anything like it in town until now.

“Rocky tackled the bear. The bear was on his back, paws up and Rocky was on top of him,” Wolcott resident Laura Canby explained.

Her 60-pound pit bull named Rocky is nursing some wounds after taking on a several hundred pound black bear.

“I was very scared. He wasn’t listening and coming back. He was too busy protecting me and the girls,” Canby said.

Canby said it all began when she heard the garbage cans bang outside her home yesterday. As she walked out all of a sudden Rocky darted through the yard after a nearby bear, just as the school bus arrived to drop off Canby’s older daughter.

“I freaked out and grabbed a shovel and started yelling at the school bus driver to keep the baby on the bus, don’t let her off,” Canby said.

That driver also called animal control.

While the bear could have won the fight if it had gone long term, it looks as if the bear decided it didn’t want to tangle with that dog any more.  No meal from a trash can is worth that.

News from Alaska:

Admiralty Island, Alaska — A female bear and her two cubs mauled and killed a young man working at a remote mine site on a southeast Alaska island with one of the highest bear densities in the state, authorities said Monday.

Anthony David Montoya, 18, a contract worker from Oklahoma, died at a remote drill site accessible only by helicopter, according to Hecla Greens Creek Mine and authorities. Mine officials said workers receive training on how to deal with bears because of the large number in the area.

[ … ]

The silver mine is on Admiralty Island, which is about 18 miles southwest of Juneau and where an estimated 1,500 brown bears roam, said Stephen Bethune, a biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Tours to the island that’s largely uninhabited by people tout bear-viewing possibilities.

[ … ]

Workers are taught, for example, ways to prevent bear encounters, including proper disposal of food. Bear spray is available to carry between buildings and trained personnel use bean bags to scare away bears from established areas.

The mine also has videos on bear behavior. In remote locations, bear spray is among the tools employees generally bring with them in the case of bear encounters, Satre said.

Bear spray.  I don’t think I would work in a place with that kind of bear density and not be allowed to carry a firearm for self defense.

In other news where people are not made in God’s image and animal life is more important than human life, a judge unilaterally decided to protect the bear sleuth.

“We stand behind our scientific finding that the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear is biologically recovered and no longer requires protection under the Endangered Species Act,” the FWS said in a statement.

U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen overturned the Service’s decision to delist the bears Sept. 24. He based the ruling, in part, on the FWS failure to consider the impact delisting the bears in the Yellowstone region would have on other, still not recovered, bear populations around the United States, according to the court order.

[ … ]

“There are only a couple grizzly bear populations that are viable in the United States,” said Wendy Keefover, the native carnivore protection manager at the Humane Society of the United States, one of the organizations that sued to stop the delisting. “In 50 years, we’ve not had one individual make it between them. There are just these tiny islands of grizzly bear populations left. They need far more protection, not less.”

I’m wondering if The Alaskan wants to invite them in for dinner?  Or maybe he wants to be dinner for these poor critters?  After all, they need protection and sustenance.

Bad Advice:

Bear spray is a great option outdoors. It will deal with any dangerous animal, two-legged or four. It’s what I carry when I go play in Baja, Mexico. (You can’t take a gun across the border.) Combined with my two dogs, I feel that it satisfactorily handles my safety. You don’t really need to aim bear spray—it hangs in the air as a shield even if you miss your target. It also won’t look out of place or scare people if you carry it around.

But bear spray canisters are too large to carry day-to-day, away from outdoor activities. The nonlethal solution my fiancée (who also carries a handgun, for the same reasons I do) uses is a Kimber Pepper Blaster II. Small, slim, and light, it’s easy to carry in a purse or pocket (there are also plenty of holster options) and employs a unique percussion-fired pepper gel design that gives it a couple unique advantages. Pressurized canisters like bear spray can leak if left in a hot car or just due to age, but this nonpressurized design remains inert until fired. Also, the shotgun-like blast of pepper gel isn’t affected as much by wind and can’t blow back on the shooter, making it more foolproof in action. You get two of those blasts, which stain an attacker’s face bright red for later identification and have a range of up to 13 feet. The wide shot pattern also ups your odds of actually hitting your assailant as much as possible during a highly stressful situation.

The thing with a nonlethal option is that you’re able to take action if you feel threatened, but without risking a life. This is hugely empowering: you get the ability to decisively deal with a threat free from the burden of making a life-or-death call.

Yea, don’t listen to this idiot.

It’s simple, yes?  The decision not to engage in life or death decisions – just use bear spray.  It works great!  Except when it doesn’t work.  Dogs are wonderful, and readers know I recommend that everyone have them.  Have many of them.  They are great protection against men, protection against some predators, great companionship, and significant responsibility.

But dogs can’t stop bears, boy.  The author is purveying dangerous advice.  Always carry means of self defense.  God expects and demands it.  For you are made in His image.

He scampers away.

A video captured the breathtaking moment a raccoon made a daring jump after scaling the side of a building in New Jersey on Friday before it miraculously scampered away.

Micah Rea of Greenville, S.C., captured the viral footage while on vacation with friends in Ocean City, FOX 6 Now reported. The raccoon was seen climbing up about 10 stories before making the daring leap off, landing on the sand and scurrying off.

So why would anyone from Greenville, S.C., voluntarily choose to go to New Jersey?

News from Texas.

The 12-foot alligator’s first mistake: crossing a Texas grandma with a Winchester .22 Magnum.

From the Houston Chronicle on Tuesday came a tale as Texan as they come. Judy B. Cochran – mayor of Livingston in East Texas; a great-grandmother called Nana by her family – had long held a suspicion that a massive alligator had killed her miniature horse three years ago. As she told the Chronicle:

“We think this is the gator that ate one of our miniature horses several years ago, as big as this gator was, he could’ve easily eaten it. Typically the gators don’t bother us, but we’ve been looking for (this one).”

The horse might have been smaller than the average horse, but this 580-pound reptile came a little larger than standard issue. According to the Chronicle, Cochran got the gator right where she wanted it after handlers caught it in a pond using a seasoned raccoon …

Fox 4 reports that Cochran was in a meeting when she was notified that the gator had been got. She took him out on her Goodrich ranch with just one shot, the Chronicle reports. Nine years ago, according to the Chronicle, Cochran’s then-5-year-old grandson killed an 800-pound alligator from the same pond.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Polk County (where Goodrich and Livingston sit) is “one of only 12 in Texas with an alligator hunting season,” giving Cochran a 20-day timeframe (and specific requirements about hunting permits and methods) to settle her score.

Just because the gator is off the hook literally doesn’t mean it’s off the hook metaphorically. The Chronicle reports that Cochran plans to eat the animal’s meat, have its head mounted and display part of its tail in her office.

Nana definitely plans to wear some alligator-skin boots once all is said and done.

Lessons: Texas.  ‘Nuff said.  Alligators.  At least Texas doesn’t have the love for the beasts that Florida apparently does, not in 12 counties.  What’s the problems with those other ones?

.22 Magnum.  Good for a lot of things.  But she must have hit it exactly where it counts.  Finally, raccoon.  Never eaten one, don’t want to, but apparently the gator was interested.  I’m wondering about WiscoDave?

Via WoG, a cougar attack.

Authorities say a dead hiker whose body was recovered this week was likely killed by a cougar, marking the first fatal attack by a wild cougar in Oregon and the second in the Pacific Northwest this year. Search and rescue teams found the body of Diana Bober, 55, on Monday off a trail in the Mount Hood National Forest in Welches, about 40 miles southeast of Portland. Her body was several miles from where searchers found her car last week near a ranger station. Bober, an avid hiker who often trekked in the Mount Hood and Columbia River Gorge area, was last heard from by family and friends on Aug. 29, the AP reports. She was reported missing on Friday and it’s still unclear when she started her hike, said Sgt. Brian Jensen of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

Her body had injuries consistent with a cougar attack and a medical examiner ruled out the possibility that she was mauled after she died of another cause, Jensen said.

The article title is amusing: “Unprecedented Event.”  David has something to say about that.

I’m reminded of another cougar attack on bikers in Washington.

A former Topekan was attacked and killed by a cougar Saturday in North Bend, Wash., while biking on a remote, dirt road.

SJ Brooks, who was known in Topeka as Sonja Brooks while attending Topeka High School, according to a yearbook, was with a friend when the attack occurred.

Brooks, who identified with the pronoun they, encountered a cougar, which began stalking the bikers during the ride. The cougar first attacked Brooks’ friend, Issac Sederbaum, after an attempt to scare off the cougar by swinging his bike at it. The cougar latched onto Sederbaum’s head and Brooks took off into the woods, according to The Associated Press.

The cougar then ran after Brooks and attacked them. Brooks was severely mauled and suffered wounds to the legs, head, face and neck, The Seattle Times reported.

I like this thing of identifying any way you want.  I’ve never really liked my name.  So I’d like my readers to know that henceforth, I identify as “Brutus Maximus, The Destroyer.”

Buckrail:

WYOMING – A backpacker was injured after a surprise encounter with two bears resulted in his being flown to an area hospital where he is receiving medical treatment.

Park County Sheriff’s Office notified Wyoming Game and Fish Department Sunday that a man had been injured by a bear while backpacking in the Beartooth Mountains near the Wyoming-Montana border. The injured male was flown by helicopter to an area hospital where he is receiving treatment.

Upon notification, Game and Fish immediately responded to the area to provide assistance to the victim and other party members. WGFD began an investigation on the attack that included interviews with the victim and members of his party.

The investigation is ongoing—WGFD personnel are still on-scene gathering further details today—but based on the initial investigation, it appears to be a surprise encounter between the individual and two bears.

The injured man is described only as an out-of-state recreationist. He was backpacking with three other people on the Shoshone National Forest near Granite Lake. The victim was apparently hiking ahead of the group when he encountered two bears at close range. The encounter happened too suddenly for him to deploy bear spray he was carrying.

Here is an update.  Most encounters like this are going to be “surprise encounters at close range.”  Be prepared.  Carry guns, easily accessible.  Forget about deploying spray.

In the Tetons, there is this worse outcome.

Two hunters were involved in a bear attack Friday, September 14, in the Teton Wilderness while field dressing an elk near Terrace Mountain, approximately 5.8 miles northeast of the Turpin Meadow Trailhead.

Florida resident Corey Chubon shot an elk during a guided bow hunt late Thursday afternoon. He and his guide, Mark Uptain of Martin Outfitters, were unable to locate the wounded animal before nightfall. The pair returned Friday morning to locate and remove the elk. They found the undisturbed carcass in the early afternoon and were preparing to pack out the elk when they were aggressively charged by two large bears.

Chubon was able to run to his pack a few yards away and retrieve a pistol but was unable to safely fire a shot at the bear that had pounced upon Uptain. The attacking bear then spun, charged Chubon, grabbed his foot and dragged him to the ground. He sustained injuries to his leg, chest, and arm, but was able to throw the gun to Uptain and get loose before running from the scene to phone for help.

[ … ]

An interagency helicopter was dispatched to the scene to assist with transport of the injured hunters. Chubon was taken to St. John’s Medical Center for treatment to his wounds. Search and Rescue personnel were unable to locate Uptain before the search was suspended for the evening.

What a shame he didn’t have a pistol on his belt.

WWLP.com:

WESTERLY, R.I. – (WPRI) — A New York man, who was visiting Rhode Island with his family, said he is still shaken after witnessing a coyote attack one of his dogs in the backyard of the home they were renting in Westerly.

John Burke and his family were renting a home on Kimball Avenue, which is near Misquamicut Beach. On Tuesday night, Burke was rinsing off in the outdoor shower when he heard his dogs growling from the yard.

That’s when he said he saw a coyote, face to face with his two Jack Russell terriers, 5-year-old Razz and 12-year-old Whitey.

Burke watched as the coyote snatched Razz up and run into the woods. He said he began running after it.

“As fast as I could,” Burke recalled. “I was screaming, ‘Razz! No! Drop her!'”

He followed the coyote through backyards and into the woods. Burke eventually caught up to it, but that’s when he realized Whitey was right behind him.

Burke said he went to pick up Whitey, and by the time he turned around, the coyote and Razz were leaving his sight.

“Coyote comes out right in the driveway, Razz decides to make a right and she goes into the brush. Coyote goes into the brush… she makes a squeal,” Burke explained. “Never to be seen again… until we found her.”

Burke said the Westerly Police Department, Misquamicut Fire Department and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) all responded to the scene, but could not find Razz or the coyote. The family put the message out to Westerly residents on social media, asking for help finding Razz.

Burke said it was a dog tracker that eventually found Razz’s remains more than 24 hours later.

He said the coyote that took Razz was anything but ordinary, even describing it as looking more like a “coydog.”

“It’s not a 20 pounder that’s going to hop over your fence and eat your chickens,” Burke explained. “This is something that I was smacking it in the face with a towel and it didn’t care. It was going to eat my dog no matter what.”

Now coping with the loss of Razz, Burke wants future vacationers and current Westerly residents to be aware of the incident, so it doesn’t happen to anyone else’s pet.

But it will indeed happen to other pets unless you’re prepared.  Do you have access to a gun at all times?

And how many times do I have to say this?  There are no Coyotes left.  They are all Coywolves, an admixture of Wolf, Dog and Coyote DNA.  They have the size and aggression of a Wolf, the lack of fear of humans of a Dog, and the adaptive capabilities of a Coyote.

AJC:

Trish Gallup was walking her three dogs Friday morning in Smyrna when one of them, Radar, just started running.

She told Channel 2 Action News that a pair of coyotes took three bites out of Radar, leaving Boomer and Tracker unharmed. Pictures showed the missing tufts of hair on Radar, an 85-pound Labrador.

A picture of a coyote on the path at the River Line Soccer Park on Oakdale Road was posted on Nextdoor, reports Channel 2, and many people responded saying they have also seen them around.

Wildlife experts told Channel 2 Action News that an attack on a large dog like Radar is unusual.

What isn’t unusual is coyotes in “transition areas” — think treelines or areas where cut grass fades into other types of vegetation.

Dr. Tina Johannsen with Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources told Channel 2 that they have received 650 calls into their regional offices about coyotes this year, which is a standard amount.

“They’re just going from point A to point B looking for something to eat,” Johannsen said.

Aren’t we all.

Johannsen recommended keeping cats and small dogs fenced in or on a leash.

She also wanted to remind folks that it’s legal and encouraged to kill the creatures.

For a second year, the “Georgia Coyote Challenge” is in effect. Those who kill the most between March and August could get a lifetime hunting license.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported that a spokesman said 83 hunters turned in a total of 195 coyotes during the 2017 challenge period.

That’s a big dog (in the video) and yet they still attacked him.  And note that what was once a lone predator is now roaming in packs.  Again I say, these aren’t Coyotes – they are Coywolves.  Killing them is the right way to handle them.

But there is this warning.

Animal advocates groups criticized the “challenge” by saying it doesn’t work and is inhumane.

Killing them doesn’t decrease the numbers, and besides that, even if it did, we shouldn’t do it.  Or something.