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Wildlife Encounters:  Are you pro-predator?  |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
 Posted - May 09 2007 : 08:12:10 AM
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So, how do you feel about the presence (or reintroduction) of large predators in your immediate area? Check out these photos & see what you think...
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/patiomountainlion.asp
Certainly makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck, but I'm still an advocate of intact ecosystems. Am I willing to risk my children for my principles? Well, I don't see it that way. My time & attention to their safety (and the inconvenience that may cause) are worth it. Some people think that an ideal environment is one that has been wiped clean of threats, but that's unrealistic. If a cougar doesn't get you, a microbe or falling space rock will. In my opinion, we've got to learn how to share the earth with all of its inhabitants, keeping a balance.
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Elizaray
outspoken
680 Posts
Elizaray
680 Posts |
Posted - May 09 2007 : 1:44:46 PM
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I think that other predators are just like bears in the sense that we need to respect them and know how to deal with them if we find ourselves accidentally "interacting". I personally was glad when the wolves were re-introduced to Wyoming since the ecosystem in Yellowstone was severely out of whack. Most predators will leave humans alone if there is sufficient game around. I too believe we need a balance and as humans we need to learn how to give as well at take. I know that isn't always a popular view but there it is :) I even plan on owning a ranch some day where I expect I will have some predator losses. It's all part of life and living on wild land. I will, however, shoot anything that comes close to harming my children. I draw the line at that! I will make sure that my children are respectful and responsible about dealing with wildlife.
Elizaray |
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Sarah Blue
outbound
37 Posts
Squaw Valley
California
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - May 11 2007 : 10:05:13 AM
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Well, a few summers ago we had a mountain lion come through our area. They have very large territories and I'm sure it used to be quite normal for them to roam through these parts. Nowadays, they normally stick to the higher hills surrounding this little valley. It was a hot dry summer though and I'm sure it came down for food and water. Made an outpost of our ranch for about a week. We lost a little calf that summer. I saw it from a distance but it slunk away as I approached in my truck with binoculars. Another neighbor reported seeing it sitting on our little wooded mountain. My boyfriend and I started hearing mysterious noises outside our cabin at night and in the morning we would find big cat tracks behind the house by the water trough. It was a little bone chilling. No more runs alone on the ranch. No more evening walks. A hungry cat that comes near civilization is probably a desperate one. We didn't report this to fish and game because we want to coexist with our animal neighbors, and yet there is plenty of room around here still and if the young cat didn't move on we didn't know where this would all lead. Here's what we did. We had a talk with it, out loud, even though we couldn't see it and it probably couldn't hear us. We wrote a note and posted it on a tree near the dead calf. We said we wished it the best but it wasn't welcome here. It was time to move on or its life could end up in danger. We know it couldn't read the note or understand the words, but I believe in intention. Whether or not the note or the talk made a difference, the cat moved on. We haven't had a mountain lion since, but we know they are here and we know this challenge will probably come up again.
"i believe in god, i just spell it nature." - frank lloyd wright
http://www.myspace.com/svgrrrl |
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Clare
outbound
16 Posts
N..C.
Washington
16 Posts |
Posted - May 11 2007 : 6:08:09 PM
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| Sarah! I love your approach to this. So holistic and spiritual. |
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catscharm74
outbound
35 Posts
35 Posts |
Posted - May 16 2007 : 07:09:34 AM
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| I just think it is a matter the we have destroyed too much territory for all the animals and they really have no where else to go, so they adapt. I don't like the idea of my kid or my animals, or even myself being a possible target, but we, the human kind, have made animals our targets without thinking for years. |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Oct 03 2007 : 07:24:50 AM
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"Charlie Vandergaw, a 68-year-old former science teacher who resides on a homestead in the Yentna River Valley, fifty miles northwest of Anchorage, Alaska...Vandergaw says his relationship with bears dates to his retirement from teaching in 1985. Over the years he has fed bears, befriended bears, nursed injured bears back to health, and allowed bears inside his cabin; now it is not unusual to find several black and brown bears lounging around his yard on any given day..."
For more, go to: http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/bearfarm.asp
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Edited by - Jen on Oct 05 2007 7:31:18 PM |
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Elizaray
outspoken
680 Posts
Elizaray
680 Posts |
Posted - Oct 03 2007 : 3:32:36 PM
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Oh my word! What an amazing place. I kind of want to go visit! I hope he doesn't get arrested.
Elizaray |
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Mountain Girl
outrigged
237 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
WA
USA
237 Posts |
Posted - Oct 03 2007 : 3:46:59 PM
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| Jen was the double yuck face mean you disapprove? I sent it to my son in Alaska and expect a rant back. JoAnn |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Oct 04 2007 : 08:11:04 AM
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What double yuck, JoAnn? I don't see it, so I'm wondering if my computer is screwing up. Anyway, like Elizaray, I can't help feeling a bit of awe - how cool would that be??? But, yes, ultimately I guess I disapprove because, in the end, it generally ends up bad for the bears. Can you say "Tim Treadwell"?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Treadwell
In the Arkansas game & fish regs, the state warns that wildlife don't make great pets, but goes on to say that anyone can legally own several deer, bobcats, coyotes, etc...no permit required.
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Mountain Girl
outrigged
237 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
WA
USA
237 Posts |
Posted - Oct 04 2007 : 11:57:00 AM
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| On my computer there are two huge green yuck symbols like you see to warn kids somethings poison. Anyone else see it? JoAnn |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Oct 04 2007 : 2:36:04 PM
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WEIRD! Still don't see 'em. Wonder if they somehow got imported with the photos?! Anybody else see them?
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Mountain Girl
outrigged
237 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
WA
USA
237 Posts |
Posted - Oct 04 2007 : 6:07:22 PM
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| Jen I still see the little green guys. I heard from Eric and Alaska and as expected he wasn't too pleased with the guy. He said some bears have been killed at neighboring cabins who aren't as keen on having bears come in to get a handout. JoAnn |
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Elizaray
outspoken
680 Posts
Elizaray
680 Posts |
Posted - Oct 04 2007 : 6:39:17 PM
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Yup- I see the yucky faces.
Elizaray |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Oct 05 2007 : 07:59:56 AM
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Hmmmmm....can't figure it out. I tried editing the post, but they're not there. Sneaky yuck faces.
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Gabe
Equipment Specialist
15 Posts
Gabe
Moscow
Idaho
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - Oct 05 2007 : 4:31:26 PM
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Hi. I was just wandering through randomly, wanted to read about the pro-predator thoughts here, and am enjoying the whole green yuck-face scenario. I'm curious if the yuck-faces are a copyright thing. ? I've tried to print photos from the internet before, and they get big logos or banding because they've been watermarked for copyright purposes. So maybe either the photo-taker, website owner or photo-hosting site from where the photos are currently referenced has placed or detected something similar, and it turns into yuck-faces. Since Jen already has or saw the originals maybe her computer "knows" what they look like. It could be, if they haven't been saved on a hosting site but are linked directly to the owning website, they're sending you a "don't steal our bandwidth message".
Sorry that was long. Just all the possibilities.
Gabe |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Oct 05 2007 : 7:29:07 PM
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I wondered about that too, Gabe. Since the photos are all over the internet--including emails--I figured they were fair game. Maybe not! I'm going to cut the photos (I figure I've drummed up enough interest here), and anybody who wants to can see them here: http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/bearfarm.asp
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
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Wildlife Encounters: Are you pro-predator? |
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Are you pro-predator?
