PARKS CANADA has found that both Wolves and Elk are sensitive to human activity and avoided getting too near to trails that are used by more than 2 people an hour...........Elk took advantage of the adjacent trail habitat when human use was less, thus provideing them with some refuge from Wolves..............Similar findings have also come out of Yellowstone Park

Where wolves fear to tread: elk share lightly used mountain park trails

An elk is pictured in this undated handout photo, by the side of a road while cars and trucks pass by. A new study suggests elk in Canada's mountain parks are cozying up to some hiking trails to avoid predators such as wolves.

CALGARY - A study suggests elk in Canada's mountain parks are cosying up to lightly used hiking trails to avoid predators such as wolves. The University of Calgary study looked at how human activity is changing animal behaviour in Banff, Kootenay and Yoho national parks.The findings show it may be beneficial to some animals for Parks Canada to limit how many people use trails that run through quality wildlife habitat such as valley bottoms.

"The challenge of parks and reserves is finding a balance between long-term ecological integrity and providing visitors with quality experiences and learning opportunities," researcher Kimo Rogala said Thursday."This research increases understanding of how humans impact the national park landscape and provides a tool for park staff to better manage sensitive areas such as wildlife corridors and primary habitat."

The study, partly funded by Parks Canada, is published in the journal Ecology and Society. It looked at how wolves and elk reacted to how frequently people used certain trails.It found that both species were highly sensitive to human activity and tended to avoid getting too near trails that are used by more than two people an hour. It also found that when use was less than that, the elk were willing to use areas near the trails but the wolves are not, creating a refuge zone for the elk.

The study's findings support previous research that shows high human activity can interfere with natural interaction between predators and prey.Researchers also suggest that when such interference happens it can have a negative effect on other animal species.

Nathalie Karvonen, Dir. of the TORONTO, CANADA WILDLIFE CENTER putting forth for Toronto citizens how to responsibly live with Coyotes and reinforcing that killing them only brings on larger litters from remaining breeding pairs..............

Coyote is here to stay in Toronto

Eric Riehl

"When a coyote goes after a pet, he doesn't do so to be mean. He just simply doesn't understand that it's okay to eat this guy, but not okay to eat Fluffy. Cats and small dogs are the exact same size as food items that they would typically eat 365 days a year." - Nathalie Karvonen, executive director, Toronto Wildlife Centre

Living with coyotes in Oakville became a hot-button issue during the summer, but last week's two-hour seminar aimed to alleviate concerns.The Town of Oakville-hosted symposium provided residents with facts about coyotes and offered advice to ensure a peaceful co-existence with local wildlife in their neighbourhoods.

Nathalie Karvonen, executive director from the Toronto Wildlife Center (TWC), and Oakville Today journalist Michael Howie were guest speakers on the panel.

Numerous coyote sightings in Oakville urban areas in recent months have sparked concern among some residents.As far as being a danger, Karvonen said perspective is very important with coyotes, as it is abnormal behaviour for them to be a risk and people shouldn't expect typical coyotes seen in neighbourhoods to be dangerous.

"Approximately 2,900 people are killed on roads in Canada each year, yet we still drive every day in our cars. Almost 200 people here are killed by lightning," said Karvonen. "There (are) at least one or two deaths each year from dogs, yet we love our dogs, we have dogs in our communities, (but) we're not terribly worried when our kids are around dogs." Halton Public Health reports that in 2009, there were no incidents of physical contact between humans and coyotes, but a total of 281 incidents occurred with cats and 222 with dogs, according to a document on the Town's website.

"Coyotes are very important to our ecosystems because they do control a lot of rodents we would otherwise have potential problems with if it were not for coyotes and other predators," said Karvonen.

Earlier this year, it was brought to the Town's attention some residents may be feeding the coyotes, which can dramatically change their behaviour and may result in a nuisance situation, Karvonen said.

Typically, coyotes are active during the evening to avoid human activity and hunt, but can also be active during the day, especially if humans have fed them, Karvonen said. They eat an average of 1 kg of food per day, and normally feed on what's easiest to them — small animals such as grey squirrels, rabbits, birds and "little things we find around the yard."

Pets are at risk because a coyote doesn't understand the difference between a dog, a rabbit, a cat and a groundhog that are all the same size, she added."(When) a coyote goes after a pet, he doesn't do so to be mean. He just simply doesn't understand that it's okay to eat this guy, but not okay to eat Fluffy. Cats and small dogs are the exact same size as food items that they would typically eat 365 days a year," said Karvonen. (dogs are seen as competitors to coyotes, cats are seen as a food item--blogger Rick)

In case of nuisance wildlife on your property, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act (FWCA) sets out legal actions property owners may take to deal with problem wildlife. Landowners or their agents may capture, kill, or harass certain species of problem wildlife to prevent damage to their property at any time. This would include municipalities on municipally owned land. Landowners are responsible for managing problem animals on their property.

Karvonen said if people are inclined to kill a nuisance coyote on their property that is causing problems, or is damaging property, it must be done humanely. But at the TWC it's not something they generally recommend, as it is a "very short-term solution to the problem."

Putting up a fence and keeping your pets protected at all times while outdoors can solve the root of the problem, she added.

"In many areas with coyotes, if you eradicate a particular group of coyotes, the remaining ones will actually have larger litter sizes the following year and that's not just coyotes, that's for all wild animals," said Karvonen.

Howie has written numerous articles on coyotes, and discussed the role of media in reporting coyote facts. He was critical of coverage with negative overtones and advocated the media playing the role of educator.  "Some people have said I'm pro coyote, but that is not accurate. I'm pro education. Every journalist has an angle. Some use an angle that causes fear and anxiety, I try to use an angle that educates," said Howie.

One of the only recorded cases of coyote-related human deaths in Canada happened in 2009 when Toronto singer-songwriter Taylor Mitchell was attacked by two coyotes in Cape Breton and died in hospital.  Karvonen said her family members are all "huge animal lovers" and weren't angry at the coyotes or about the situation. "In the case of Taylor's death in 2009, believe it or not her mother actually directed donations in memorial of Taylor when she was killed to Toronto Wildlife Center," said Karvonen.

If coyotes build a den on your property and you don't want them there, Karvonen said to chuck a bunch of "dirty, old, sweaty gym socks into the den or have a couple of drinks and then do your business near the den site. "To the coyotes, (it) will be another predator set marking their den and nine times out of 10, predators like coyotes and foxes will just pack up and move their babies somewhere else because they think you are a threat to their babies," said Karvonen.

Karvonen said at the end of the day what is most important is just to learn as much as possible about what bothers us about what the coyote is doing or what we're afraid of what the coyote might do, and work to resolve the problem through educating ourselves as much as we possibly can.

"There are lots and lots of coyotes living in our communities that are not habituated to people, that have not associated us with food that we're probably never going to see or only see a tiny smidgen of their tail high tailing it out of there," said Karvonen.

In June, Town council approved the Oakville Wildlife Strategy and Conflict Guidelines, and will provide better clarity and direction for staff, service providers and the community for supporting biodiversity and minimizing wildlife conflict situations. For more information, visit www.oakville.ca/wildlife.htm.

John Lutz of the EASTERN PUMA RESEARCH NETWORK AND I periodically have a lively debate about whether there are viable breeding populations of Cougars East of the Mississippi River.....John feels that there most certainly are Cougars existing in our Eastern States and Eastern Canada...............Passionate, purposeful and a long time citizen researcher of Cougars, John is convinced that State Wildlife Agencies are purposely misleading the Public on the existance of Cougars.............He claims to have seen black(color phase) cougars, jaguars and pleistocene era American Cheetahs and feels that they exist in North America from the Atlantic to Pacific ..............He is also confident and certain that the so-called "Dakota Cougar" that was killed this past Summer in Connecticut actually was born and wandered South into the USA from Canada.............His EASTERN PUMA RESEARCH NETWORK is at odds with COUGAR REWILDING and the COUGAR NETWORK who (as I do) conclude that there is not a breeding population of Cougars in the Eastern States outside of Florida at this time...........At the very most, esteemed Jaguar and "big cat" biologist Alan Rabinowitz hypothesizes that there might be some "released pets" that have from time to time found each other and mated across the landscape, accounting for periodic sightings of the Cats..............My take on John's position on Eastern Cougar existance is that if there are any Cats out there, they are not a functional population in terms of conducting their trophic function of tapping down the runaway deer herd that are currently denuding our forests.......... A gentlemen named Ben Shrader responded to one of John's articles with this commentary: "To perpetuate a myth of existence of cougars in the east for decades is a disgrace to the magnificent species. Yes, an occasional disperser or an escaped or released captive, but a breeding population, No way! Real cougars leave tracks, scat, and are photographed. Oh, the joy of a sensational story about a mythical shy critter that can exist among us undetected, but after 46 years of bashing game departments the fictional story is ending. For those who want to continue to believe these myths it is time to ask: “Where is the proof for scientific review? What is the truth?” Maybe someday it will come true if cougars are protected and allowed to disperse into the east or we have the ecological fortitude to reintroduce them. The truth is the east is missing an essential apex predator and as a result forests are in collapse from deer browsing while biodiversity of the whole region is suffering. The energy and thirst for mythical sensationalism can be better directed toward a real solution and that is for the protection and restoration of natural predators"

Rick

Sorry to tell you, but the EASTERN PUMA RESEARCH NETWORK is 100% OPPOSED to this idea of a cougar rewildingplan for the reintroduction of the more aggressive western cougars into the forests & woods of the eastern U.S.!!

There is NO need for such action, when adequte numbers of WILD, FREE-ROAMING, NATIVE Cougars/Mounatin Lions continueto travel the traditional routes established by past native big cats over the last 200 years..

The voice of the people, will never allow such programs, for the Eastern Puma Research Network will arouse such a crythat has never been heard previously.

John A. Lutz

Eastern Puma Reserach Network

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Sorry Rick.....but you and I differ greatly on this matter.

Hundreds of confirmations on wild, free-roaming pumas have been logged since the 1960s in stateseast of  Mississippi River, which we consider to be THE habitat of  "Native, wild sub-species Puma concolor couguar".

Neither I nor several friends listed below, ever bought into the idea of ONLY 1 sub-species existing across the U.S.   Our long-standing position has always been: "at least 5 different sub-species continue to survive across North America",as was the position of our close friends/colleagues, Frank Weed of Immokolee, Fla,  Professor Harold Hitchcock of Middlebury College, Vermont, Biologist Dr. Charles Humphreys of North Carolina, Dr. J.D. Barr of Tioga County,Pennsylvania and Anthropoligist-Biologist R. Pennington Smith of Catonsville, MD.

Despite the evidence presented on the CT cougar, we continue to FIRMLY believe the dead CT Cougar originated less than 500 miles from where it was killed.  From data presented to us, our opinion on dead Milford, CT cougar walked SOUTH from NE Canada.

We continue to be in touch with current and past independent sceintists,who have spent decades conductingfield studies on the hundreds of 'mountain lions', which continue to freely roam across eastern Canada, as thelate Bruce S. Wright identified in his 1972 book, "The Eastern Panther".

There is NO way, the Connecticut cougar walked east from the Dakotas over the last 2-4 years.

State Wildlife Officials who are trying to attribute all reported sightings since 2009 to CT's ONE lone dead lion,have done nothing but create an unrealisted bunch of garbage reports, that other actual native lions created.

Yet wildlife officials across the eastern U.S. have continued to "bury their heads in the sand", while denyingany presence of  "free-roaming, native' cougars, mountain lions or pumas.

For the record, I also believe in the existance of BLACK PANTHERS freely roaming the U.S. from the Pacificto the Atlantic Oceans. My knowledge on the presence of BLACK PANTHERS, whether Jaguars, pumas or the long-thought extinct American Cheetah, is based on 3 personnal experiences with such large cats, along with witnesses in Maryland, Pennsylvana, New York and Florida since 1950.

Sincerely,

John A. Lutz

Eastern Puma Research Network

HC 30 Box 2233

Maysville, WV 26833

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To: John Lutz

With all respect and deference for your expertise and opinions John, the research I have seen saids there is all cougars in north america historically and currently are of one genus............that is why texas cats were brought into florida when gene bottlenecking was happening......................

I am for rewilding even in a difficult political and social climate.............How long will it take for Dakota female cougars to join males in a walkabout to Ohio? Do you not feel some "subjectivity" in saying that Cougars living West of the Mississippi are more aggressive............more aggressive than what?..............there basically are not cougars in the Eastern USA at this point...............so I do not understand your point here.

best,

Rick
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John

Good evening to you John.................Respect your professional trackers of course................The prevailing sentiment is that while wanderers from the Dakotas are showing up in various locales including Connecticut(yea)..............there is not proven to be a breeding population East of the Dakotas save Florida.............

............I have never have seen a Cougar..............Seems that the overiding % of Biologists agree with my point above...........Until more of these professionals vote yea, I stick with my premise................I hope in fact that you are right...................an "A" for effort you have from me............

Please enjoy a fun weekend

Rick
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On Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 10:19 AM, John A. Lutz/Eastern Puma Research Network

Rick:

I am puzzled by 1 sentence in your 1st paragraph,  "....there basically are no cougars in the eastern USA at this point". Within the last 6 days, 5 different sets of tracks have been submitted to the Eastern Puma Research Network from the Delmarva Peninsula, New York State, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. Of the 5 groups of tracks, our professional wildlife trackers/specialists CONFIRMED tracks of 2 pumas.

NOT of a surprise to EPRN, each track pictures were set to us areawide citizens.

Of all track pictures, 4 came from local citizens & 1 from the U.S. Military. In the case of the Military
Tracks, those pictures were found on September 5th by a family on a picnic in George Washington
National Forest.

Overall, when submitting pictures of tracks, deceased prey, or actual pictures of animals to EPRN, 97% of witnesses ask that we do NOT make the pictures public, whether or NOT, they turn out to be the real McCoy.

We have strict rules about such requests.  If the tracks turn out to be of actual pumas or their tracks,
 we contact the photographer or family, asking for exact data on where the evidence was found, time of day,date of discovery, if possible a GPS 10-20, then ask if we can either keep the sent pictures or make copiesof them for EPRN records.

If such requests are apporved, we then make copies and always return the originals to the owner.
 Its up to the individual or family, if they want the evidence made public. If they do, we make contact withthe news media in that area, then go with the witness for the press interview.

As stated earlier, 97% of witnesses do NOT take their evidence any further, for witnesses know the FACTSthat (we) Eastern Puma Research Network have been claiming in our brochures for decades, that most "state/federal wildlife officials bury their heads in the sand", while the witness(s) has been CORRECT all along.

Since 1965, witnesses have come from all types of backgrounds, transients riding empty railroad cars toLEOs and FLEAS, military personnel from Private to Generals, hundreds of scientists, teachers andcollege/university professors, who do NOT want to become publically embroiled in this wildlife issue.  Many witnesses join with EPRN Personnel to quietly pursue this 'greatest wildlife mystery" of the 20th centurywhich has moved into the 21st century. 

Now let's go back to my orignal question: Are you someone who has  NEVER seen a cougar or black panther in the wild, in any state east of the Mississippi River??? Just because you  have ever seen a big cat in the wild in any eastern state,doesn't mean the BIG CATS do NOT exist......what is does mean is that you have not knownwhere to look.

Sincerely,

John A. Lutz
Eastern Puma Research Network
HC 30 Box 2233
Maysville, WV 26833
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Field Researcher: Mountain Lion is Most Adaptable Animal on Earth...........Since 1965, the Eastern Puma Research Network has recorded 11,000 sightings of 'non-existent' cougars.

• ByJohn A. Lutz
•   

To the Editor:

After being an active field researcher since 1965, I can say with authority that state wildlife officials only have one goal: keep denying, denying, denying the presence of wild, free-roaming cougars in their state. Because due to the big cat's natural instincts and abilities, it is almost impossible to rid an area of the American lion unless you kill it.

Since 1965, when first becoming involved with the "phantom cougar" of the Gunpowder River that crisscrossed Harford County in north central Maryland, we handled some 45 calls from citizens who could only get action from the State Police after Maryland's Game Commission refused to respond on citizens calls because the cougar was NOT native to the state.

During that time, I, along with zoologist Ted Roth and naturalist Bob Chance were the unofficial first responders for the MD State Police to the dozens of citizens calls being called into the Benson Barracks in Harford County. All the MD Game Commission did was continue to deny, deny, deny citizens complaints ... even though some tracks had been confirmed as a cougar and identified by Dr. Ted Roth, a certified zoologist, who later became the assistant director of the Baltimore Zoo.

I've heard every possible excuse by state/federal wildlife officials, as to why "there can't be a free-roaming cougar" in the area. But they are the most adaptable land mammal on earth. They do not need large tracts of woods to vanish within. All a wild cougar needs is three things almost ever area has: adequate water (ponds, pools, streams, rivers), prey: deer, rabbits, fish, snakes, etc. and 3) habitat: moderate tracts of woods, abandoned/old foundations, caves and/or large trees.

Since 1965, we have collected more than 11,000 sightings of those "pesky, none-existant wild, free-roaming cougars" who continue to silently roam the eastern United States. If you were closer in miles distance, I'd say come on down to look over our thousands of files and reports.

I am 70 years of age and not really profecient in sending out reports on the internet. Our files were featured on History Channel's MonsterQuest series in 2007, which generated more than 7,500 responses from vindicated witnesses of those other "none-existant cougars" in every eastern state.

John A. Lutz, Eastern Puma Research Network
HC 30 Box 2233 Mayville, WV 26833.       

Brooks Fahy at PREDATOR DEFENSE is teaming with FRIENDS OF ANIMALS on Friday, October 14 at the Montana State Capitol in Helena to protest the new State Management plan for Wolves which targets as many as 2/3 of the States Wolves to be killed during the hunting and trapping season which is in effect now...............They need your support!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Brooks Fahy <brooks@predatordefense.org>
Date: Sat, Sep 24, 2011 at 9:29 AM
Subject: You're needed at the Helena Wolf Rally 10-14-11
To:

Howl-In and Press Conference for Wolves at Montana State Capital

Friday, October 14^th, 12pm-2pm, Gov. Schweitzer's Office, Helena, Montana

Join Friends of Animals members, Predator Defense and other wolf advocates to deliver an urgent message straight to Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer's door: Stop slaughtering wolves in Montana.            

Montana's wolf biologist Jay S. Mallonee has charged the state's wildlife agency with justifying wolf slaughter with flawed data: "Money and convenience are some of the reasons to hunt wolves, which implies conflict of interest, especially when no scientific protocols were followed." 

The Howl-In and Press Conference will take place on Friday, October 14, 2011 at the Montana State Capital Building in Helena from 12:00 pm-2:00pm. We're asking everyone who cares about wolves and wolf recovery to attend. 

"We're demanding an immediate end to state-sponsored wolf slaughter and, until it ends, we've called for a complete boycott of the states of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming," says Friends of Animals' president Priscilla Feral. 

Montana's Senator John Tester is responsible for attaching a de-listing rider to the budget bill, which changed the wolves' protected status --and avoided public and scientific scrutiny—even though it's estimated that nearly 1500 wolves remain in the Northern Rockies.

       

In response, Friends of Animals quickly called on members and supporters across the country and around the globe to boycott Idaho, Wyoming and Montana—including Yellowstone National Park, which exists in all three states—as long as these states continue persecuting wolves.

High-profile Howl-Ins organized by Friends of Animals were held in Washington, DC and New York City, gaining national press attention from media outlets such as CNN, Huffington Post, as well as state, local and regional print publications.  

 

Wolf biologist Jay S. Mallonee recently published a peer-reviewed scientific paper, Hunting Wolves In Montana – Where Are the Data? in the journal Nature and Science—concluding that  Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks does not know how many wolves exist in the state and disregards their role in the ecosystem altogether.

Priscilla Feral says, "We won't stop until gray wolves are given federal protection. It shouldn't take a slaughter to make that happen."

Your attendance is very important. Please bring colorful posters, spirited banners, placards and noisemakers to the rally. We're targeting Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, Senator John Tester and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar—all of whom contributed to the persecution of gray wolves in Montana and beyond. Posters should emphasize the economic boycott of WY, ID and MT. Because the media will attend, it's important to present creative posters that are large and legible. 

       

What: Howl-In and Press Conference  

When: Friday, October 14^th, 2001, 12pm-2pm 

Where: Montana State Capital Building 

1301 EAST 6TH AVENUE

Helena, Montana 59620-0801 

If you plan to attend this important rally, or have questions, please contact: 

Edita Birnkrant

E-mail: Edita@FriendsofAnimals.org

Phone: (212) 247-8120 

Or 

Dustin Rhodes

Email: Dustin@FriendsofAnimals.org

Phone: (202) 986-1693

We are earnestly asking that all organizations support the rally and do everything possible to get people there. 

THE SOLE OBJECTIVE OF THE RALLY IS TO SUPPORT WOLVES BY:

 1. SENDING A MESSAGE TO POLITICIANS THAT LOTS OF PEOPLE AND VOTERS SUPPORT WOLVES, AND

 2. INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS TO CREATE CRITICAL MASS TO MAKE A CHANGE FOR WOLVES   

Your organization does not have to support the boycott, we just need you to show support for wolves. 

PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR  MEMBERSHIP TO BE THERE FOR THE WOLVES.  Lets show unity and stand together during this dark period.

Thank you for your attention and consideration.

Brooks Fahy
Executive Director
PREDATOR DEFENSE
PO Box 5446
Eugene, OR 97405
541-937-4261 Office
541-520-6003 Cell
brooks@predatordefense.org
www.predatordefense.org

Facebook: Predator Defense

More information on the Wisconsin Deer Study that is underway: In the Eastern part of the State, excluding death by helicoper capture to tag the animals(which will cease going forward), 7 deer were killed by cars and 1 from starvation---no wolf,coyote, bear or bobcat caused predation!,,,,,,,,,,,,,In the Northern region of the study, excluding mortality caused by helicopter capture, 5 deer starved to death, 4 were taken by wolves, four lost their life to bobcats and 1 loss to coyotes and 3 from undetermined predation.............3 were killed by cars, 3 were illegally poached by people and two more were lost through unknown causes...................So despite the author highlighting the carnivore predation(which writers always seem to play up),,,,,,,,,,a significant number of deer deaths were attributed to humans...............and the hunting season has not started yet so even more archery, muzzle loader and rifle human predation to come over the next 3 or 4 months.............Bottom line is that the woods still have too many deer in them to reproduce properly and be as diverse as they should be................Cougars need to be added to the mix of limiting agents for deer and the wolves should continue to spread to the Southern tier of the State to up the deer control even further...............most of wisconsin has a range of 14 to 75 deer per square mile..............with Southeastern and Southwestern Counties harboring as many as 125 deer per square mile....................THIS IS INSANITY AND WE ARE LETTING DEER(BECAUSE OF HUNTER POLITICAL PRESSURE) EAT OUR FORESTS TO THE QUICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two study areas in state produce varying deer data

Paul A. Smith

Fall Deer Density-WISCONSIN

Researcher Brittany Peterson checks up on a collared white-tailed fawn resting in a set of woods near Shiocton in Outagamie County.

DNR photo

A white-tailed deer wears a radio collar as part of a long-term Wisconsin deer research project.

more photos

DNR photo

A white-tailed deer wears a radio collar as part of a long-term Wisconsin deer research project.

Close

Navarino - The largest deer research effort in Wisconsin history is halfway through its first year.
Among the preliminary findings: Predators have taken more deer in the northern study area; fawn survival has been higher in the eastern study area; several yearling bucks have dispersed over 15 miles, but mature deer have tended to stay in a smaller home range; and capture-related mortality of deer was unacceptably high and will result in changes to trapping procedures.

Project managers provided a briefing of early research results Aug. 25 at Navarino Nature Center. The information session was part of an appreciation barbeque for volunteers and landowners who have assisted with the study.

"These are data that will become part of a much larger set, but we know there's lots of interest in the project and we wanted to share what we've seen to date," said Chris Jacques, research scientist with the Department of Natural Resources.

More than 300 state residents have volunteered for the project this year, according to the DNR. About 60 people attended the session at Navarino.

The information was presented by Andrew Norton, a doctoral student in wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin, and Michael Watt, a DNR research scientist.The research consists of two major projects - buck mortality and fawn recruitment - and is being conducted in two study areas, the northern forest near Winter in Sawyer County and the eastern farmland near Shiocton in Outagamie County.

The fawn study, with a focus on fawn survival rates, will run into 2013. The buck study, designed to improve deer population estimates, will continue into 2015.The research is being funded with $2 million from the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration. Commonly known as Pittman-Robertson, the money is collected from excise taxes on firearms, ammunition and hunting supplies and distributed to states for wildlife projects.

The fieldwork for the projects started in late January as researchers and volunteers attempted to capture and place radio collars and tags on deer. A second phase started in May as newly born fawns were collared and tagged.Researchers determined the status and location of adult and yearling deer at least once a week. Fawns born this year were tracked daily.

If a "mortality" signal was received in any instance, the researchers would go to the site and attempt to determine the cause of death.

So what does the data look like?

In the eastern study area, 135 deer (55 bucks and 80 females) were captured and tagged in winter. Twenty-three (or 17%) died by the end of August: 15 from capture-related causes, seven from collisions with vehicles and one from starvation.

In the north, 204 deer (78 bucks and 126 females) were captured and tagged last winter. Forty-one (or 20%) died by the end of August: 16 due to capture, five from starvation, four due to wolf predation, four from bobcat predation, three from human poachers, three road kills and one from coyote predation. In addition, three of the deaths were termed "unknown predator" and two were "unknown cause."

Most of the capture-related deaths in both study areas were related to the use of a helicopter and an initial design of netted cage traps. The design of the cage traps was modified about midway through the winter trapping. The changes resulted in a "huge reduction in mortality," Jacques said.
And helicopters will not be used in 2012.

"Helicopters are widely used in similar studies and allow the benefit of targeting specific animals, especially adult bucks," Jacques said. "But the mortality rates we experienced were unacceptable and we decided not to use helicopters over the next year."

Instead, Jacques said, they will employ more box and cage traps as well as drop nets. The field staff will also be increased in 2012.

So other than capture-related causes, predators were the leading cause of mortality in the north (12 out of 41 animals or 29%) and motor vehicles were the leading cause in the east (7 out of 23 animals or 30%).

With burgeoning populations of gray wolves and black bears - as well as less intensely studied but not unsubstantial numbers of coyote and bobcat - northern Wisconsin has no lack of deer predators.

And the study hasn't even gone through a hunting season yet."It will be very interesting to see what impact the archery and gun seasons have on the deer in the studies," Jacques said.
The two study areas are distinct in many respects. The northern study area has much more public land. The eastern study area is almost all private land, has more agricultural acreage and a much denser network of roads.

With respect to fawns, 48 were radio-collared in the eastern study area. Fourteen are known to have died through the end of August, for a 12-week mortality rate of 29%. Six were determined to have starved, five died from predators (four coyote, one black bear), two were hit by vehicles and one died from an unknown cause.

Thirty fawns were radio-collared in the north. Eighteen died over the summer, for a 12-week mortality rate of 60%. Predators accounted for 14 of the fawn deaths in the north (five black bears, four unknown predators, two bobcat, two unknown canids and one coyote), while two fawns starved and two died of unknown causes.

The high number of starved fawns in the east was perplexing, said Jacques. Whitetail does typically abandon only 1 or 2% of fawns. Jacques said the researchers will continue to evaluate their handling techniques, taking every step to limit the amount of human or other foreign scent placed on fawns.
Researchers know the reason for the two starved fawns in the north - the does were killed by vehicles.
The long-distance award goes to a yearling buck that traveled 20 miles from Black Creek toward Green Bay, Norton said. Several other yearlings dispersed about 15 miles. But the adult deer in the study move in a much smaller home range.

Norton and Watt thanked the volunteers and landowners for their role in the project. Volunteers are critical in both study areas and landowners are especially important in the east.

"We are all for the research," Terry said. "Now we'll have real information instead of guessing."
The helicopter portion of the project drew the most criticism from landowners. Not only did it result in the highest source of mortality during the capture portion of the study, but at times the deer were flown more than a mile off a landowners' property to be collared.Those concerns, obviously, were heard.

So what's next?

As of early September, the researchers have 200 deer fitted with radio collars and "on the air." Those deer, 45 fawns, 90 bucks and 65 does, will be followed at least once a week. Then, on Jan. 9, 2012, the day after the late archery deer hunting season ends, trapping efforts will begin anew.
The researchers hope to get 140 bucks and 80 does in each study area with either radio collars or ear tags.

"The support of the public has been tremendous," Watt said. "We hope they will continue to help us carry out the projects and then, long-term, even take ownership

British Columbia fishermen severely cut into Grizzly Bear foodstuffs this past Summer.............Salmon that does not make the grade for commercial markets tends not to be thrown back into the rivers in a condition that lets them continue to survive........1.4 million pounds of Chum Salmon died from injury upon being caught and then thrown back in stressed condition............Not only do the Griz lose an important foodstuff,,,,,,,,,,,but their recycling of the Salmon back into the environment(excrement/bones, etc) is interupted causing forests and meadows not to be fertilized as they have for eons by the Griz "fertilizer machine"

By-catch Deprives Bears

by Misty MacDuffee and Chris Genovali

British Columbia's coastal grizzly bears often have a hard time securing their life requisites, as humans interfere with much of their day-to­-day existence.

Grizzlies face a myriad of threats, from the degradation of their habitat by industrial forestry, to their direct killing via trophy hunting. They also face fierce competition for their most important food source, wild salmon, from commercial and sport fisheries.

That competition may have gotten more extreme this summer, as BC's north coast commercial salmon fishermen have discarded over 20% (by weight) of their catch, including 1.4 million pounds (636 metric tons) of chum salmon. Many of these fish are from stocks that federal fisheries scientists have described as 'conservation concern'.

One-half of these chum discards came from areas in and around the Great Bear Rainforest.

Most of the discarded fish are not expected to survive because salmon hauled up in nets and onto decks need careful handling to be released back to the water unharmed.

But in competitive fisheries with short time-limits, careful release of unwanted salmon puts fishermen at a disadvantage. This disincentive means tens of thousands of salmon die from stress and injury, losing their one chance to spawn after returning from the Pacific Ocean.

There are several problems with fisheries that discard 'bycatch' in the manner described above. Initially, the abundance of many stocks of chum salmon on the central and north coast is too low to withstand significant fishing pressure, so there is a conservation concern for these stocks.

But secondly, the discarded chum salmon could have fed bears, eagles, wolves, and dozens of other wildlife species in our coastal rivers.

Specifically, there are growing concerns over the impact that low salmon abundance has on coastal grizzlies, other wildlife that rely on salmon, and the healthy functioning of salmon-dependent ecosystems.

The massive amounts of nutrients and energy that salmon bring back to BC's watersheds every year can be likened to the wildebeest migrations of the Serengeti. Similar to their African ungulate counterparts, spawning salmon provide an essential seasonal food to many species. For coastal grizzlies, the health of individuals, the number of cubs per female, and population densities are all strongly related to the consumption of salmon. Grizzlies have smaller and less frequent litters in lean times. Given that chum used to provide a high percentage of salmon to these bears, its decline could mean fewer bears and less resilient populations over time.

Bears also drive productivity within coastal streams and forests by transferring salmon carcasses from streams to the forest floor. They are riparian gardeners; providing nutrients and energy to stream-bank foodwebs, including insects, birds, mammals and other fish.

In terms of nutrients, 335 metric tons of discarded chum salmon translates to 9 metric tons of nitrogen and 1 metric ton of phosphorous, 80% of which would have been of delivered by bears to the forest.

The economic value of spawning salmon is significant and undeniable. The rising popularity of wildlife ecotourism suggests that salmon may be worth more to coastal economies alive than dead. Wildlife ecotourism has grown impressively in the past 20 years. The number of operations bringing tourists to see BC's coastal bears has more than quadrupled since the 1990s and local First Nations have been an important component of this growth. However, this promising economic activity requires abundant salmon populations for bears, bear?viewing and other wildlife drawn to fall streams.

The UKbased Marine Stewardship Council recently certified BC's pink salmon fisheries as 'sustainable', a designation Raincoast Conservation Foundation believes should be revoked if current fishing practices are allowed to persist. However, sustainable salmon fisheries are possible if salmon management can be adjusted to accommodate high value, selective fisheries that consider the needs of the greater ecosystem.

Changing the way we fish for salmon could significantly reduce impacts to stocks of concern, like chum salmon in the Great Bear Rainforest. This could be achieved by moving fisheries away from 'mixed?stock' areas where it is impossible to target strong stocks while avoiding weak ones, by employing proven selective fishing techniques, and by transitioning to quota? based (versus competitive) fisheries.

In many other BC fisheries all boats must have on-board independent observers or video cameras to monitor by-catch and compliance with fishing regulations. The sustainability of BC's salmon fisheries would benefit from similar measures.

My friend Frank Carbone, living in the wilds of New York State, sent me this great pic of a bobcat scoring a Turkey meal..................The Bob looks like a "pivoting shortstop" turning a double play ball...........Talk about a "flexible flyer"!!!!

Oregon Biologists seeking to verify Cougar #'s in the State, now estimated at 5700..............The objective of this research is to determine.how many elk and deer they kill weekly is the goal of the Study(hunter centric study).............Interestingly, none of the 35 Cats that have been collard for this Study have killed any livestock...................They are doing the top-down trophic job very nicely............Of course,, never a mention by the State biologists on the fact that keeping the deer and elk herds trimmed is a good thing for the Oregon forests and meadows

Dogs and biologists track collared cougars in northeast Oregon

 

Darren Clark Radio-collared cougars in northeast Oregon help biologists track their numbers and their diets.

The estimated number of deer and elk killed by cougars is a hot button for hunters, and researchers now believe man's best friend and modern science will help with the specifics.

The key is to find the true number of cougars in the state.

"One (deer or elk) a week is about right," said Bruce Johnson, project leader for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Mt. Emily cougar study. "I think they're having an effect, but what we don't know yet is at what level."

That's largely because the current estimate of cougar numbers in Oregon (5,700) is just that: an estimate.

Johnson and his team of researchers, including faculty and graduate students from Oregon State University, are monitoring a dozen active radio collars around the necks of live cougars in the Mt. Emily game management unit, between La Grande and Pendleton. Since their study began in winter 2008, 35 have been collared and watched. Many died of various causes (one was killed by another cougar) or left the area. A few collars failed, leaving the current mix.

The team also uses two trained dogs, a border collie and a lab/pointer mix, to help find cougar kills. Cougars spend time at their kills, established by repeat positions on the radio collars. Researchers note the clustered dots and take the dogs to the sites.

The dogs  are far more efficient than humans at finding scat and remains, often buried or dragged off and, especially, hidden beneath winter snow. They're rewarded at each site with several minutes of playing time with a tennis ball.

Researchers scrutinize what they find, analyze its DNA and use the information to develop formulas that may lead to more accurate estimates of cougar numbers living within the unit.

The formulas may then be overlaid across other parts of the state for more accurate total numbers of cougars and their overall effect on deer and elk herds.

Meanwhile, the study is also producing a wealth of information about cougars and what they eat:


Deer (66 percent of kills) are preferred, followed by elk (29 percent) and non-ungulates (i.e., coyotes, raccoons, etc., 5 percent). Male cougars tend to prey on elk more frequently than female cougars.


Most of the deer (47 percent) were fawns.


No cattle or horses have been killed by collared cougars during the study.


Buck deer are killed most frequently between August and November, when they're least vigilant, either due to noisily rubbing velvet off antlers or in the rut, when bucks lose much of their natural caution.


Female cougar predation on elk is heavily focused on elk calves (86 percent of elk they kill). In general, male cougars kill larger elk.


Predation on large bulls is relatively rare, almost always by male cougars, which more commonly kill smaller bulls. Only a few bulls were killed by female cougars and those during early spring, when they're without antlers.


Non-ungulate prey included badger, beaver, black bear, raccoon, coyote, domestic cat and dog, domestic sheep, opossum, snowshoe hare and wild turkey.


Scavenged animals (already dead) included road-killed deer and elk, hunter kills, kills by other cougars, cattle remains, a black bear carcass and an illegal bear bait. Nearly half of the scavenged sites were by the same cougar.

Johnson said there's nothing wrong with licensed hunters (with a tag) shooting a radio-collared cougar.

"It's part of the overall picture of mortality causes for cougars," he said. "We just ask that they (hunters) not shoot the cougar through the collar."

Details are online at: https://sites.google.com/
site/mtemilycougarstudy/
home.

Michigan ignores "fair chase" and re-institutes BEAR BAITING in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan...........Where are the real hunters who enjoy the stalk and the chase...........rather than a pinball shooting gallery experience?

Michigan hunters turn to food to attract big bucks

ZACHARY REICHARD,

 

• 
  In this photo taken Sept. 7, 2011, bags of corn sold as deer feed are shown at the Kawkawlin Feed Mill in Kawkawlin, Mich. The Michigan Natural Resources Commission recently lifted a ban on deer baiting in the lower peninsula, allowing hunters to once again put out feed to attract deer. 
• 
  In this photo taken Sept. 7, 2011, bags of Deer Delight feed mixture sit on the floor at the Kawkawlin Feed Mill in Kawkawlin, Mich. The Michigan Natural Resources Commission recently lifted a ban on deer baiting in the lower peninsula. Photo: The Bay City Times, Lathan Goumas / AP
  In this photo taken Sept. 7, 2011, bags of Deer Delight feed...

Killing and Hunting as perceived and commented on by the OXFORD CETRE FOR ANIMAL ETHICS,,,,,,,,,Wildlife Services and State Hunting seasons taken to task

Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics

"So far as we know beasts are incapable either of sin or of virtue; therefore they can neither deserve pain nor be improved by it." C.S. Lewis, Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, 1940.

Killing and Hunting

The shorter days of summer give way gradually to autumn and the massive slaughter of "wildlife". The U.S. is fighting a war, not only in distant places but also at home; it is a war against free living animals. Not only do we have "Wildlife Services", a part of the U.S.D.A. (U.S. Department of Agriculture), a federal agency that kills animals to supposedly "help" U.S. farmers, but we also have state agencies that encourage hunting.

"Wildlife Services" supposedly protects aquaculture, agriculture, and resources, such as buildings, vehicles, homes, golf courses, as well as humans from "wildlife attacks" and "wildlife diseases", even aircraft safety. All of this "protection" is protection from "wildlife". For example, fish farms are protected from fish-eating birds, such as cormorants, blue herons, and pelicans and also from muskrats that damage the infrastructure of aquaculture facilities. Crops, such as rice, corn, winter wheat, fruits and nuts are protected from black birds, gulls, geese and other birds as well from deer, beaver, feral swine, coyotes, badgers, raccoons and various small mammals. Sheep and cattle, particularly lambs and calves are protected from predators such as coyotes, mountain lions, bears, wolves, foxes, bobcats and eagles.

While "Wildlife Services" claim they recommend various non-lethal means of protecting farmers and others from multimillion dollars losses from "wildlife", they kill many species in huge numbers by various means. "Wildlife Services" quote the G.A.O. (General Accounting Office) report stating that "lethal management methods are a legitimate means for effectively resolving wildlife conflicts". The means used by the agency include shooting and aerial gunning, and the encouragement of hunting including hunting with dogs as a means of reducing populations. They also use traps, snares, fumigants, such as carbon monoxide, to kill young animals in dens (denning), and various poisons, as well as special killing devices such as the M-44 ejector which shoots sodium cyanide into the mouth of any animal who tries to eat the attached bait.  Also used is the slow acting, but deadly, Compound 1080 (sodium monofluroacetate). For example, a coyote ingesting this substance may not show any immediate symptoms, but will take hours to die.

Many of the killing efforts of "Wildlife Services" are directed against coyotes perhaps because, unlike wolves, they are not almost extinct, but have thrived. Coyotes are predators, but also scavengers, so it is not at all clear that they are responsible for the many newborn calf and lamb deaths they are accused of. Nevertheless, according to statistics gathered by the Animal Protection Institute and published by Born Free and the Animal Protection Institute, nearly six million of these doglike creatures were killed by the U.S. Federal Government from 1916-1999, and almost two million since 1976. Between 1937 and 1983, 26,000 bears, 500,000 bobcats, 50,000 red wolves, 1,600 grey wolves, and 8,000 mountain lions were killed.

In 2003, in a single year, 75,724 coyotes were killed. State and local governments as well as private individuals and hunting clubs are responsible for killing hundreds of thousands more. All in all, between 1996 and 2004, more than 14 million animals were destroyed by the U.S. Government. Some researchers believe that these numbers are low since many states do not keep accurate figures of the animals killed.

While coyotes seem to be a major target of "Wildlife Services", deer are the favourite target of U.S. recreational or sport hunters. Hunting is said to be a "sport", but a sport suggests an encounter between two equally or closely matched partners, which is obviously not the case with deer hunting. Hunters, and indeed "Wildlife Services", assert that hunting provides a valuable and necessary service in reducing populations of certain animals. We are told, for example, that it is necessary to kill deer because there are too many, but if that were true, why do the states encourage the propagation of deer by "habitat improvement"?

It is falsely but repeatedly claimed that the deer "overpopulate". Aside from being a nuisance, it is claimed that such overpopulation constitutes a danger to human life and health because deer (i) spread Lyme disease, (ii) cause vehicle accidents, (iii) destroy the forests, (iv) threaten the survival of ground-nesting birds and other mammals (that are invariably unnamed), and (v) eat peoples' carefully planted flowers.

Facts reveal problems with almost all of these claims: even if there were no deer, Lyme disease would not disappear since mammals, birds and even reptiles can carry infected ticks that cause Lyme disease. Similarly, the majority of car accidents occur during hunting season because the deer run from hunters. Insurance companies corroborate these statistics. Deer are said to threaten the very existence of our forests. No one stops to think that if deer destroyed their own habitat, they would soon starve to death.

One wonders how deer have managed to exist for millions of years without the help of humans. State agencies talk about "harvesting" deer, not about slaughtering or killing them. They would have us believe that "thinning the herd" is for the good of the deer. These agencies talk about the ever "bourgeoning deer herds". Agencies don't bother to inform the public that deer populations depend on food supply. Without an infinite amount of food and space, deer numbers cannot infinitely increase.

Nor do agencies tell us that even in the absence of predators, deer herds tend to be self-regulating. Indeed, they tell us that since we have killed all the predators, we must take their place ignoring the fact that predators kill the very young, the sick and the old while hunters seek the healthiest and largest animals with the biggest racks (antlers).

Agencies don't bother to explain that the so-often quoted "carrying capacity" is not an unchanging number that can be repeated year after year as if it did not vary, inter alia, with the weather, the kinds of vegetation, disease, and other animals competing for the same food.

Valley Forge National Historical Park is an excellent example of this war on "wildlife". Claiming that the deer in the 3,000 plus acre Park are increasing despite the Park's own numbers to the contrary, it was asserted that the deer are destroying the forests and that their numbers must be reduced over a four year period to less than 200 from an estimated total of 1,277. An organisation offered to fund the contraception of all the deer and to fence the forest areas. The park rejected this offer as "inadequate".

Local papers announced that by the spring of 2011, sharp shooters had killed 600 deer. Some reports claimed 700 had been destroyed. Whatever the number, Park officials voiced satisfaction and asserted that shooting was the "most humane way to control the population". Before spring fawning, there were said to be 574 deer remaining. No report that I saw questioned whether the remaining deer would continue to destroy the forest.
The Park was originally established to commemorate Washington's encampment in the winter of 1777-1778 during the revolutionary war. From its hills, Washington could observe the British troops occupying Philadelphia. Originally farmland, any trees in the area were used to build the soldiers' huts or to heat them. Now the forest obscures the reason why Washington chose that location, but since the park has recently become "multi-purpose" rather than primarily historical, the deer must supposedly be killed to preserve the forest that had not previously existed for several hundred years.

Once again, science has been ignored and habituated deer have been demonized and shot in great numbers on the basis of flawed or misrepresented information.

On sources: with the exception of the numbers killed, all the information concerning "Wildlife Services" comes from their website www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage.

And information on the numbers killed comes from "Coyotes in Our Midst: Coexisting with an Adaptable and Resilient Carnivore", copyright 2005, by the Animal Protection Institute and published by Born Free and the Animal Protection Institute, available at http://www.projectcoyote.com/Coyotes_in_Our_Midst.pdf.
Priscilla N. Cohn

Our friend Linda McCracken is doing daily, detailed "CSI" investigative work seeking to prove the presence of Cougars in New Hampshire and the other New England States and New York........Linda is asking all Blog readers if they would be interested in contributing funds so that she can get DNA analysis of alleged Cougar scat that she has collected............$200 per analysis is the cost and Linda has 5 scat samples ready to turn over to the U.S Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Lab.............If interested, contact Linda at lmccracken2002@yahoo.com

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Linda McCracken <lmccracken2002@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 19, 2011 at 8:13 AM
Subject: Re: Illustrations of NH black cats
To: Rick Meril <rick.meril@gmail.com>

OK, I've been having a big "evidence" thing with NH Fish & Game. They want perfect tracks, won't DNA scat, etc., etc.

What's your take on "evidence"?

I have a minor in anthropology, so my scientific take is totally different then that of biologists. I gather information and go where the "evidence" takes me. 

First, I noticed lots of people have seen black cats that looked like cougars, but cougars aren't supposed to be melanistic, but I figured they must be in NH.

Second, people in NH saw lots of small black cats that looked like cougars (40-80#). People in VT and NY saw big black cats (80-250#). I then thought that perhaps somehow jaguarundis and jaguars were here in New England even though they are supposed to be in S. America and Mexico because jaguars can be black and jaguarundis are often dark grey, so I started asking more detailed questions.

People said the black cat had a wider nose than a cougar, some said it had tufted ears, some said it had a ruff on the neck.Then, last Winter, two people told me about this small black or dark gray cat with a bowling ball head and long legs. At first I ignored them. It sounded too bizarre and I thought their descriptions were off, but "bowling ball head" was strange as both people said that. Then I saw the same bowling ball headed cat. I still couldn't believe what I saw, but when I talk with other people, I find that they have seen the same thing!

NH Fish & Game sent me their database. There were lots of black cat sightings. Many had long legs or "round" heads. I noticed a pattern. Because of the way NH Fish & Game asks questions, I can't be sure that these are the same strange cats, but I can't be sure that they aren't. I needed more evidence.

In collecting the evidence, I started hearing about this shaggy haired cat with a round head and long legs (3 reports). Two of these people said it looked like a dog with a cat's head and movements. One person stated that he saw a strange creature that was wolf/coyote/dog with a mashed face. I drew it and it looked very similar to the odd Marlow cat (unfortunately, I have lost that drawing... not with "cat" stuff- I'll find it eventually).

One of my cougar researcher friends told me that he gets similar reports, but people are scared to talk about this strange mutant looking animal. I understand that as I was scared to talk about it and I do this type of research. It's totally different and bizarre and not on the Internet or anywhere else, so I decided to finally put it "out there".

I don't know what is going on and I agree more evidence is needed, but I do think something is going on! Luckily some people are putting up game cameras because of our talks. Perhaps we will get more information.

There was more scat today and more trails by the bridge and the beach. I would love to have DNA analysis done on the scat, but don't have the money (on disability). Do you think you could find some dollars through your blog or friends? NH Fish & Game say they use US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Lab and it's $200 per test. I have five scat samples now.

Linda

indeed i did................not enough evidence from those line drawings is my take

On Sat, Sep 17, 2011 at 8:17 AM, Linda McCracken <lmccracken2002@yahoo.com> wrote:

Mornin'

Check out the pics yet?

---

From: Rick Meril <rick.meril@gmail.com
To: Linda McCracken <lmccracken2002@yahoo.com
Sent: Saturday, September 17, 2011 11:06 AM
Subject: Re: Illustrations of NH black cats

morning to you Linda

On Sat, Sep 17, 2011 at 7:58 AM, Linda McCracken <lmccracken2002@yahoo.com> wrote:

Black round headed, legged cats in NH (unconfirmed sightings):

I talked with neighbor who saw a black cat in Marlow. It was Mar. 2011, not this past week-end like I originally thought.

Attached are some illustrations I did of black cats with round heads and long legs after talking with two observers plus me. I'm an artist and have taken a FBI course to learn to sketch from verbal descriptions.

All these cats were crossing roads. There have been around 10 sightings of long legged black or gray cats. Most are in Cheshire county in the Mt. Monadnock area. Some were shaggy. Several people stated that the shaggy one looks like a cat's head on a dog's body. Perhaps this is a new species or perhaps bobcats and cougars are interbreeding creating unusual "looks".

Benton:

9/2001

Black

Ball-shaped head.

20" tall to back

Body 30" long from chest to rump

Long curled tail 24" long and curled up at end.

Long legs, compact body, rear legs longer than front like lynx.

40-60#

60' away

Crossing road near Mt. Moosilauke

Keene:

7/19/2011

Black

Very round bowling ball head.

18-20" high at rear

Body 30" long from rump to butt, size of coyote

Tail longer than body- 32-34" and crooked back at end.

Long legs, compact body, rear legs longer than front like lynx, ran with hopping gait.

40-60#

100' away

Crossing road toward three mile swamp

11:30 AM

Marlow:

March 2011

Black

Very round head with matted "bed hair" like it had been lying down, shaped like Bishon Frise.

No eyes or ears seen.

17-18" high at shoulder

Body 47" long from head to butt, size of coyote, but longer

Tail longer 18-24" and bushy with long fur.

Thick muscular legs, long body.

100' away – I think this was closer if it came into his yard, also due to detail he provided.

Crossing road from Post Office, through yard toward pond behind house.

6:15 AM

Others with long legs and round heads, often described as compact bodies, but not illustrated, yet were seen in the following towns (I noticed NHF&G has sightings back to 1997, mine are back to 2001):

Albany-2000 (tan/black, 2-3' long, 3' hi, round, tufted ears, tail ½ body length, NHF&G)

Keene-Unknown (unknown, shaggy)

Keene-Unknown (dark gray, shaggy, 5' head to rump, 18-24" hi)

Newbury, South-1999 (black, very long tail, 28-30" hi, NHF&G)

Plaistow-4/29/2009 (black, long tail, NHF&G)

Sullivan-2/1/2011 (like bobcat, but taller, body 2.5'long, 3-4' tail, moved like small cougar)

Whitefield-10/28/1997 (brown-black, height more than knee, tail as long as body, NHF&G)

Above are 10 sightings are of long legged cats, not counting those that just said "round" heads (too many to count, mostly NHF&G).

Also did not count the following odd animals:

Dublin-Mar. 2011 (2 gray shaggy big cats with white cheeks, but no tail seen, 17" ruff, 31"hi, 38" chest to rear)

Gilsum-Jan. 2009 (tawny, 2xsize of bobcat-2/3 of cougar, shorter tail (7-12") but longer than bobcat)

Peterborough (Mt. Monadnock)-2005 (shaggy gray wolf/coyote/dog combination with a mashed in face and slanted scary eyes-Benton cat also had slanty eyes)

The weird thing is that these are very similar (long legs, round heads mainly), but very different in looks. Bobcats and cougars could be interbreeding (making the odd differences, but not explaining the round ruffed heads), there could be a weird mutation or these are black cats that have been here since pre-historic times (called black panthers by first explorers) and are just now coming to our attention.

Although most sightings have been in Keene, black cats have been seen in the Gilsum/Surry area since the 1950s (no other detailed data-size, ruffs, shape of head, legs, etc.). They may be the same cats coming down off of Surry Mountain. There have also been black cats seen in Coos County since the 1930s.

Linda

Linda

---

From: Rick Meril <rick.meril@gmail.com
To: Linda McCracken <lmccracken2002@yahoo.com

Sent: Saturday, September 17, 2011 1:09 PM

Subject: Re: Illustrations of NH black cats

The Journal writings of English Explorer, Francis Moore, who explored Georgia during the 8 year period from 1732-1740.............Buffalo did exist in Georgia during this early colonial period..............wolves, bears, bobcats, Whooping Cranes, Turkeys, Alligators and rattlesnakes all called the region home in the early 18th Century

Did you ever wonder how strange it must have been for foreigners when they saw the animals in North America for the first time?



We have some accounts from different people who kept journals of their trips and the first impressions of the land and its inhabitants.



The travels of Lewis and Clark and John and William Bartram and their journals about the new lands they explored more than 200 years ago are very interesting to me.

William Bartram was a Philadelphia Quaker naturalist and wilderness explorer who moved through this region around 1765. The Bartrams traveled the route that closely parallels portions of the Wiregrass Trail.

Another such journalist and explorer was Francis Moore, who penned his thoughts in a journal in the spring of 1736. His journal was printed in "Our First Visit to America: Early Reports from Colonial Georgia 1732-1740."

Moore arrived on St. Simons Island in 1735 and settled in the town of Frederica. Although it's not in Liberty County, it is a coastal area and the wildlife would not be much different there than it was in coastal Liberty County or Long County in 1736.


The following is from Moore's journal:

The island abounds with deer and rabbits. There are no buffaloes on it, though there are herds of them on the main. There are also a good many raccoons, a creature something like a badger, but somewhat less, with a bushy tail like a squirrel, tabbied with rings of brown and black. These varmints are very destructive to the poultry.

I heard there were bears and wolves, but I saw none. There are great numbers of squirrels of different sizes, the little kind the same as in England, and a lesser than that, not much bigger than a mouse, and a large gray sort, very near as big as a rabbit, which those accustomed to the country say eats as well.

There are wildcats, which they call tigers (apparently a bobcat). I saw one of them, which the Indians killed, and the skin was brown and all of one color about the size of a middling spaniel, little ears, great whiskers, short legs and strong claws.

Of the wild fowl kind, there are wild turkeys, though but few upon the island, but plenty upon the mainland.
This bird is larger than the tame turkey and is the most beautiful of the feathered kind. His head has the red and blue of the turkey, only much more lively and beautiful. His neck is like a cock pheasant's, his feathers also are of the same color with those of that bird, glittering in the sun as if they were gilded. His tail is as large though it hath not fine eyes in it as the peacock hath. At first, before they were disturbed by our people, they would strut in the woods as a peacock does. I have heard some say that upon weighing, they have found them to exceed 30 pounds. I never weighed any but have had them very fat and large. They are a delicious meat and are compared to a tame turkey, as a pheasant is to a fowl.

I saw not partridges upon the island though there are plenty upon the main. The woods swarm with turtle doves, which are excellent food.

There are great numbers of small birds, of which a black bird with a red head, the red bird, or Virginia nightingale, the mocking bird, which sings sweetly, and the rice-bird, much resembling the French Ortelan, were the chief; the rest are too numerous to name.

There are a great abundance of water fowl. Besides the common English wild goose, duck, mallard and teal, there is a kind of wild goose like the brand geese and ducks of many kinds, hardly known in Europe.

There is a whooping crane, a fowl with gray feathers five or six feet high, numbers of the heron kind of different species and colors. Some small ones of the most beautiful white, which are called poor jobs, from their being generally very lean. Of birds of prey, there are the land and sea eagle, with different kinds of hawks. There are also a number of pelicans and cormorants.

Of reptiles, the crocodile, which seems to be the chief, abounds in all the rivers of Georgia. They call them alligators. I have seen some of these I believe to be 12 feet long. A number of vulgar errors are reported on them; one is that their scales are musket proof, whereas, I have seen them frequently killed with small shot. Nay, I have heard from people of good credit that when they found one at a distance from the water, they have killed him with sticks, not thinking him worth a shot. Mr. Horton more than once struck one with a hanger. The watermen often knock them on the head with their oars as they sleep upon the banks. They are very sluggish and timorous, though they can make one or two springs into the water with nimbleness enough and snap with strength whatever comes within their jaws. They are terrible to look at stretching open a horrible large mouth big enough to swallow a man, with rows of dreadful large sharp teeth. Their feet are like dragons, armed with great claws, and a long tail, which they throw about with great strength and which seems their best weapon, for their claws are feebly set on and the stiffness of their necks hinders them from turning nimbly to bite.

When Mr. Oglethorpe was first at Savannah, to take off the terror which the people had for crocodiles, having wounded and caught one about 12 feet long, he had him brought up to the town and set the boys to bait him with sticks. The creature gaped and blew hard but had no heart to move and only turned about his tail and snapped at the sticks till such time as the children pelted and beat him to death. At our first coming, they would stare at the boats and stand till they came up close to them, so that Mr. Horton killed five in one day but being frequently shot at they grew more shy. They destroy a great many fish and will seize a hog or dog if they see one in the water, but their general way of preying is lying still, with their mouths open and their noses just above water, and so they watch till the stream brings down prey to them. They swallow anything that comes into their mouths; and upon opening them, knots of lighter wood have been found in their guts. They rarely appear in winter, then being in holes.

They lay eggs, which are less than those of a goose. Leaves and other trash are scraped together that will ferment and heat. Of these, they make a dunghill, or hotbed in the midst of which they leave their eggs, covering them over with a sufficient thickness. The heat of the dunghill, helped by the warmth of the climate, hatches them, and the young crocodiles creep out like small lizards.

Next to the crocodile is the rattlesnake, a creature really dangerous, though far from being terrible to look at. The bite is generally thought to be mortal, and certainly so, if remedies are not in time applied. The Indians pretend to have performed wonderful cures and boast an infallible secret but it is generally believed that the hot season of the year and the rage of the rattlesnake increase the force of the poison and that the bite is more or less dangerous according to the part of the body bitten.

Those who are bitten on the least dangerous circumstances are cured by the outward applications of the Indians. Mr. Reeves, who was surgeon to the Independent Company at Port Royal, has by a regular course of medicine cured most of those who were carried to him and bit by rattlesnakes. Thank God there has not been one person bit by a rattlesnake in the Colony of Georgia.


I have seen several of these snakes, which were killed at Frederica, the largest above 2 yards long, the belly white, and the back of a brown color, they seem to be of the viper kind, and are of a strong smell somewhat like musk. The rattles are rings at the end of their tails of a horny substance; these shaking together make a noise, which with their strong musk smell gives cautious people notice of where they are. They are not so nimble as some snakes are, therefore do not move out of the way, which is generally the occasion of bites when they happen, for they naturally in their own defense snap at what treads near them.

To prevent this, those that walk in the woods much wear what they call Indian boots, which are made of coarse woolen cloths, much too large for the legs, tied upon their thighs and hang loose to the shoes.


Besides the rattlesnake, there are some others whose bite is dangerous. There are also many others whose bite are not dangerous such as the black, red and the chicken snake.