Link

Bear wanders into Camarillo [Updated]

8:36 AM | May 6, 2009

Residents of a Camarillo apartment complex received an unexpected visitor this morning: a bear.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department received a report at about 5 a.m. that a large brown bear had been spotted wandering through a densely populated part of town, said Capt. Bill Ayub.

Sheriff’s deputies followed the bear into the Avalon Camarillo Apartment complex in the 1500 block of Flynn Road, where they corralled the animal until shortly before 8 a.m. when wardens from the California Department of Fish and Game shot it with a tranquilizer dart, Ayub said.

Residents were advised to remain in their apartments until the animal had been taken away. [Updated at 8:50 a.m.: The 300-pound male was being trucked to a wilderness area in the hills to be released, Ayub said.]

It was not immediately clear where the bear had come from, but Ayub said it probably emerged from a creek bed about half a mile away and wandered into Camarillo in search of food.

“It was pretty far into town, though,” he said.

Link

Bear goes to lunch on Metro Parkway

FWC to trap and relocate wild animal

By Rachel Myers
rmyers@news-press.com

• Photos: Black bear spotted in south Fort Myers

Home-hunting had caused him to work up quite an appetite. 

After meandering the streets a while, he found a cozy haunt in the shade, where a bag of salty Lays potato chips hit the spot.

But anyone would get self-conscious with a crowd gathering to watch you dine. 

Too bad the spot was inside a Dumpster, the streets were busy and he was a 6-foot, 150-pound black bear wandering just off Metro Parkway. 

“He jumped in the Dumpster, grabbed a bag and jumped out,” said Dan Peterson, manager of Caloosa Tent & Rental Dumpster. “He brought it to the woods and then jumped back in. Once the police showed up, he took off. It was as if he recognized the uniforms.”

Experts with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission say their approach is typically hands-off. But after seeing the bear’s boldness and lack of fear toward people, the decision was made to trap and relocate him.

“This bear has obviously been fed,” said Gary Morse, FWC spokesman. “It’s a shame, because it often leads to nuisance behaviors, and I hate to say it but people need to know: A fed bear is a dead bear. Once they learn these behaviors, it’s very difficult to get them to behave normally.”

The bears are rarely aggressive, Morse said. But if a bear has been fed by humans, it loses its fear and will come dangerously close. 

The Metro Parkway sighting and another reported later Monday on Franklin Street in Fort Myers make four in three days in Lee County, with another also in Fort Myers off Daniels Parkway on Saturday and the fourth at Jenna Avenue and Seventh Street Southwest in Lehigh Acres.

At the latter location, parents were concerned because the bear was wandering close to a school bus stop. But the wildlife commission declined to respond, saying the best approach is to leave bears alone as they rarely are aggressive unless they’ve been fed. 

Media images Monday show a man taking a picture of the bear on Franklin Street less than 10 feet away as the bear relaxes on the edge of the trash bin before diving in, paying no mind to the half-dozen humans gathered around him.

“That’s not normal,” Morse said.

While the hope is relocation, Morse said, unfortunately habits die hard; if the bear continues to find its way to people, it may need to be killed. 

“The prognosis in these cases is usually bad,” Morse said. 

It’s unknown if the bear seen Monday on Franklin Street is the same one seen earlier on Metro Parkway. 

“It could be one adventurous bear, or it could be a couple,” Morse said. 

There are five main black bear territories in Florida, and one of the larger sites is south of Lee County.

Sightings are more common this time of year, Morse said, because mother bears prepare to bear new offspring, and force the young adolescent males away from their home territory so they aren’t a danger to cubs. The young males search for new space, and sometimes end up in urban environments. 

They are attracted to food — any food — including bird feeders, trash and pet food. 

“Bears will do incredible things to get food,” Morse said. “You’ve got to make it as hard for them as possible so they won’t be tempted to get close.”

Peterson, who spotted the Metro Parkway bear after the furry visitor scaled the fence and dove into the Dumpster, said it’s not uncommon for smaller scavengers to frequent the grounds. But seeing a bear was unnerving — and he almost didn’t believe it.

After running away, Peterson returned, just to make sure he had seen what he thought he saw.

“It looked like it was going to knock the tree down,” Peterson said. “He looked healthy. Usually you think of a bear living in the woods as scrawny. But he looked like a healthy animal.”

— Staff Writer Terry Brady contributed to this report.

Additional Facts

Bear sightings in Lee County
View Bear sightings in a larger map

Link

People or Sheeple?

by  Ted Nugent 

The cute chimp attacks the owner’s best friend and eats her face and hands off. The primate’s owner calls 911 and cries for help that, as always, comes much too late. 
 
A nine year old little girl takes the 160 pound bull mastiff for a walk and loses control. The giant dog clamps down on her head and all people can do is scream and yell.
 
Another nine year old little girl steps off the school bus in rural Michigan and is instantly attacked by a pack of feral dogs, all wearing collars. Again, all anybody can do is scream as the helpless girl’s face and head is ripped to shreds.

The elderly lady leisurely strolls along the causeway like she does every evening, when out from the canal lunges a prehistoric monster, its rows of teeth clamping down on her torso, nearly cutting her in half. The 12 foot alligator drags the gasping senior citizen into the shallow water and devours her.
 
The insane lady lifts herself over the barrier so she can pet the 1000 pound polar bear, but instead is clawed into the jaws of the carnivore as all the zoo goers wail pathetically to no avail.
 
A young athletic gal enters her apartment building in San Francisco after her daily jog and is met by a pair of snarling Doberman pincers that savagely attack and kill her.
 
The Michigan farmer enters the breeding pen of his whitetail deer and is gored and nearly killed by the dominant buck. His cries for help are heard by no one.
 
Two punks taunt the regal Indian tiger in its cage at the San Francisco zoo. The giant killer cat leaps up and over its moat and easily catches and kills one punk and severely injures the other. No one hears their cries (and in this case, that’s just as well.  I’m on the tiger’s side).
 
The animal control officer responds to an emergency call about a pit bull attacking neighbors, but she arrives with only a flimsy net and the powerful dog nearly kills her.
 
A bobcat crashes through a window at a local tavern and begins chasing patrons, clawing and biting people at will. Everybody scurries about helplessly and cannot stop the rabid kill crazy cat.
 
The bicycler pedals through a curve on the bike path near San Diego when a hungry mountain lion catapults onto him, biting his neck, and dragging him off into the brush. Other cyclists scream and holler but the cougar ignores them and kills its victim.
 
A young boy zips up his sleeping bag in the Canadian park for a night of camping, but is savagely attacked by a large black bear. The boy’s family yells and throws pots and pans at the bear who is dragging the helpless boy off into the wilderness, where it kills and eats him.
 
The stoned hippie spends years in the Alaskan wilderness, and in a drug induced stupor, he pretends to befriend grizzly bears and give them names. He and his girlfriend are killed and eaten by his new friends.
 
A family is picnicking in Northern California when a mountain lion stalks their picnic table and grabs the mother by the throat and drags her off into the forest. All anybody can do is scream and yell and cry.
 
I could go on, but I just thought I would mention that carrying a gun might be a good idea. Nah.  Some people are sheeple. 

Link

5-foot patio visitor startles Hampton man

By MATTHEW STURDEVANT

Daily Press

May 4, 2009

HAMPTON, Va.

Last August, Rick Schumann was about to relax on his apartment patio near Sandy Bottom Nature Park when he saw it: a 5-foot canebrake rattlesnake. 

“It was as big around as my forearm,” Schumann said. 

He’s got a photo to prove it. 

Schumann lives at Meridian Parkside, a new apartment complex that opened last year on Hampton Roads Center Parkway just west of Sandy Bottom. Not long after he saw the snake on his patio, Schumann said a woman and her toddler who lived in an apartment across from his saw a canebrake curled up on Schumann’s welcome mat. The woman has since moved, and Schumann has been very careful before walking outside. 

“Every morning, I crack the door (open) and look down,” Schumann said. 

It’s that time of year again when snakes are on the move, including the venomous canebrakes. The snakes, which are officially designated by the commonwealth as endangered in Virginia, come out of hibernation about mid-May–when the weather warms up–and start looking for a mate. The first canebrake seen this year at Sandy Bottom was on a trail April 28 and was relocated within the park, said Hampton parks department spokesman Ed Novi. 

Last year, an official at Sandy Bottom Nature Park was called on three separate occasions to remove a canebrake rattlesnake from Meridian Parkside apartments. 

Before approaching the snake, the biologist or park ranger puts on snake chaps to cover his/her legs, said Arthur W. Mertz, chief park ranger at Sandy Bottom. A rod with a golf-club-like handle is used to hoist the snake into a breathable, rip-stop nylon bag. The bag is put in a plastic, 5-gallon bucket specifically designated for canebrake retrieval, Mertz said. The snakes are then taken back to the park and released. 

Management at Meridian Parkside declined to talk about the snakes. Last year the apartment managers put up fliers instructing people on what to do if they saw a canebrake. 

Canebrakes have a distinctive black tail and rattle, are usually pinkish, gray, yellow or light brown with brown-to-black chevron patterns down the spine. They can grow up to 5 feet long. They feed on rodents, mainly gray squirrels, and eat once or twice a year. Occasionally, they eat birds and frogs. Canebrakes are an important part of the ecosystem, and they help control the rodent population, Mertz, the Sandy Bottom chief ranger said. 

Canebrakes are in Hampton, Newport News, York County, Isle of Wight, Suffolk, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, according to Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries. On the Peninsula, the bulk of the population is believed to be around the nature park at Sandy Bottom. Despite being a scary encounter for people who might see one sunning on a patio, it is a misdemeanor to harm or move the snakes. 

Residents are asked to call state Game and Inland Fisheries Biologist J.D. Kleopfer at 804-829-6703, or local animal control authorities. 

The biggest challenge facing the reptiles is loss of habitat, according to researchers at Old Dominion University and state game officials. 

In 2000, researchers tracked canebrakes by placing small radio transmitters underneath the scales. They found canebrakes in the Oyster Point area, around Big Bethel Road, in the Michael Woods area and in Kiln Creek–all areas that underwent rapid development. 

Last year, canebrake habitat was cited as one of the reasons Hampton had to wait years to get state and federal permits to extend Commander Shepard Boulevard. The new road will cut a 200-foot-wide path through the woods, about 1.8 miles long. 

Canebrakes need a large area to roam for food, and have been tracked wandering as much as 757 acres in a year, according to the ODU researchers. 

For people interested in seeing a canebrake behind the safety of Plexiglas, Sandy Bottom Nature Center has one in a terrarium as part of an educational display. 

Link

Poisonous snakes in town

By Kevin Davis

KOSSE – They hide in the grass, in garbage, and they’re very poisonous. They’re Copperhead snakes, and with recent floods pushing them out into the open, they are dangerously multiplying in Kosse.

Residents of Kosse say they’ve seen a lot of snakes recently….and they’re getting brave — slithering down the main part of town.

But the county has no animal control official, meaning the residents of Kosse will have to take care of the mess. According to James Kays, a resident of Kosse, “the city has asked everybody to clean up their property… even help people clean property adjacent to their own to try to keep the snakes out.”The city has started issuing citations to people who aren’t clearing their land of potential snake havens.

But for James Kays, he has one message for the snakes — bring it on.

“A snake’s a snake to me. If he’s green, yellow, brown, whatever color, I’ll kill him if i can.”

The first round of citations for not removing snake havens are going out next week.

Link

Rare, but not unexpected.

Rattlesnake roundup in Chicago area

The last known rattlesnakes still living in the Chicago area are being rounded up in an emergency species survival rescue effort.

A massasauga rattlesnake, caught last week, is checked by staff of Lincoln Park Zoo on Tuesday. (Tribune / Kuni Takahashi)
   

Jointly conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Lincoln Park Zoo, the roundup is sending snakes to the zoo and an eventual captive breeding program likely to take a decade or more. The idea is to breed the reptiles, eastern massasauga rattlesnakes, back to a large and healthy enough population so they can be restored to area wilderness locations, including forest and nature preserves.

The native species is so shy and retiring that it has managed to remain here from the city’s frontier beginnings through today.

“They aren’t a very rattling rattlesnake,” said Joanne Earnhardt, a population biologist at Lincoln Park Zoo who chairs the North American species survival plan for the snake. She said there are few recorded instances of them biting humans. 

“They only grow up to 2 feet long and are very shy, something you don’t expect in a rattlesnake,” Earnhardt said. “They have a behavior of being very quiet and still, even if you are within inches of them, hoping you will go away.”

In Cook, DuPage, Will and Lake Counties over the next month and in springtime over the next several years, biologists will systematically search for the rattlesnake at sites where it was known to live in the past.

The massasauga (pronounced massa-SAW-guh) was relatively common in the four counties until a few decades ago, but annual searches for them that began in 2005 found them in only one isolated wetland area. Fearing pet collectors or vandals might descend on that location and remove or destroy the snakes, officials decline to identify where it is.

“We have been studying them for years and have watched their dramatic decline,” said Joe Kath, the state Natural Resources Department’s endangered species project manager. “We came to the difficult realization that we had two choices: We either watch them completely disappear from northeastern Illinois, or we take this action and bring them back to a healthy, viable population.”

On Friday, biologists conducting the rescue search found an adult female massasauga at the single isolated area, and on Monday, they found an adult male there.

“It is a beautiful snake,” Earnhardt said. “It is beige, black and gray with large dark splotches on its skin that are different on each snake.”

In long summer grass in the wetlands, ponds, swamps, fens and grasslands where they normally live, their camouflage is so perfect they are extremely difficult to spot, she said. Springtime, while wild grasses are still short, is the easiest time to spot them when they are leaving the  crawfish burrows where they have spent the winter.

“If you are bitten by one, it is serious, but their venom is not extremely potent and life-threatening, as it can be from more dangerous venomous snakes,” Earnhardt said, “In fact, massasaugas can control when they do and don’t use venom as they bite, and they might not use it biting a human because they would recognize humans are not prey, just something they want to scare away.”

In nature, they are crucial to their habitats, working as ambush hunters popping out of long grass to kill and eat mice, voles, shrews and rats, keeping down their populations.

Robert Kennicott, the most important early naturalist in Chicago, collected and preserved many massasauga specimens in the 1850s that can be found in natural history collections, said Michael Redmer, a staff biologist at the  Fish and Wildlife Service’s regional office.

“Up to the early 1990s, the [massasauga] snake was fairly easy to observe if you knew the places to look for them,”  Redmer said.

The snake is on the Illinois endangered species list and is a strong candidate to go on the federal endangered or threatened species list, he said. 

There are three distinct genetic groups of the species, one that resides in Ontario, New York and Pennsylvania; another in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio; and a third in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa.

The causes of their dwindling numbers are human-related — destruction of their habitat as it is converted to farmland or urban uses, deterioration of their ecosystems and hunting.

“Up until the late 1960s, you would see newspaper ads announcing organized ‘Rattlesnake Roundups’ in which people  would bring them in from forest preserves for bounties,” Redmer said. “That was the prevailing attitude then — they are venomous and no good, so get them out. It is a sad thing. The snake can’t help that it is venomous.”

Link

It would be so crazy to have a mountain lion circling your house as described in this story.

San Benancio resident recounts close call with mountain lion

PHOTO BY JOEL ERICKSON

A mountain lion perches on the wall of Joel Erickson’s patio about three years ago. 

“It started when the mountain lion tried to get my house cat,” Erickson writes. “I knew that the [mountain lion] was in the area because I had seen his tracks in the mud.

“One evening when I was working in the garage, my cat was sitting outside the door enjoying the evening. I heard a loud bang and thought the cat had knocked something down. Later I was able to reconstruct what happened: The mountain lion had come around the corner of the house and caught my cat sitting outside. Seeing a snack there, he jumped at the cat, missing it and hitting the garage door, which was the bang I heard.”My cat must have used up a couple of its lives that evening, because she was able to get away and climb to the top of a tree, where she stayed all night. I thought she was gone because of the cat fur I saw and the lion’s tracks. I found her the next day in my shed, unhurt but scared.

“It was about a month later when I was having coffee about 4 in the afternoon that I saw the mountain lion come past my house.

“He was probably looking for another snack because he went all the way around the house and looked in the French doors to see what was inside.

“My cat got one look and went under the bed. I got my camera and went to another window to get a picture. When the mountain lion heard the noise he came across the top of the retaining wall to see what was inside. He came right up to the window, so I was only 3-4 feet from him when I took the one picture. It wasn’t a telephoto lens.

“I have seen him, or one like him, cross San Benancio Road early in the morning and have seen one at a small pond I have late in the evening, but this was the only time I got a good look in the day.”

Link

It’s almost like an animal revolution is going on.

Possible rabid animal attacks reported in Winchester area

WINCHESTER – At least three incidents of possible rabid animal attacks have been reported to Animal Control this month, according to a press release issued today by Winchester police.

On Wednesday, a woman reported that she and a child had been attacked by a red fox on Battery Drive.

“The female reported that after leaving a business on Battery Drive with a male child that she was caring for, a red fox came out from underneath a vehicle and bit the child’s shoe. When the female intervened, the fox bit the female several times. The female then drove to seek treatment at the Winchester Medical Center, ” the release states.

“The parent of the child decided she would seek treatment the following day at the child’s pediatrician, since the fox bite did not penetrate the child’s skin. The female described the fox as having a mangy coat, wet and bloody mouth.”

Animal Control has set traps in the Battery Drive area where the incident occurred. Area neighbors reported seeing the fox under cars througout the day. 

On Sunday, a homeowner in the 100 block of Linden Drive reported her dog had been attacked by a groundhog, and that when she tried to scare the animal away, it charged at her.

“The homeowner, who was not bitten, went back into her residence and called the dog inside. The groundhog was not on the property when Animal Control arrived. Several traps have been set in the area in an attempt to catch the groundhog. The homeowner’s dog was up to date on his rabies vaccination; however, the 45-day hold was placed on the dog. It cannot be confirmed that the groundhog is rabid until the groundhog has been caught,” the release states.

On April 15, a homeowner in the 700 block of Merriman’s Lane reported that his dog was attacked by a raccoon.

“During the attack, the homeowner was able to kill the raccoon. The Virginia Department of Health confirmed the raccoon was infected with rabies. The homeowner’s dog was up to date on his rabies vaccination; however, the Virginia Department of Health requires a 45-day hold on the dog, which is monitored by the Department of Health,” the release states.

Winchester police are asking area residents to report any wildlife or animals that exhibit signs of rabies, or if a bat enters a residence. Call police at 540-662-4131.

Signs of rabies include dingy or mangy coat, wounded appearance, bleeding or wet mouth, and/or aggressive or confused actions.

Link

Considering just how rare Mountain Lion attacks are, it seems like lately officials are euthanizing way too quickly.

Cougar killed after
entering courtyards

Updated: Thursday, 23 Apr 2009, 4:23 PM MDT
Published : Thursday, 23 Apr 2009, 3:35 PM MDT

• Web Producer: Todd Dukart

ELDORADO AT SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Game wardens have killed a cougar who entered the courtyards of two Santa Fe-area homes.

The 100-pound female cougar was captured and euthanized after she was found Monday at the homes in the Eldorado subdivision.

Game warden Desi Ortiz said the cougar showed no fear when he arrived at the first home. The animal stared back at him as he positioned himself with a tranquilizer gun.

Ortiz said he hit the mountain lion in the hind leg with a tranquilizer dart. She jumped over the wall to the courtyard and went missing.

A short time later, Ortiz was called to another home where a cougar was seen staggering into the courtyard.

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish officials said the original plan was to move the animal to the Jemez Mountains, but she was euthanized after officials determined she was too dangerous to people.

Dan Williams with Game and Fish said in a news release the cougar appeared to have lost its fear of humans.

Tips to avoid encounters with mountain lions and other large predators, according to Game and Fish:

• Do not feed wildlife. Use native plants, not non-natives, so as to not attract deer, which are the primary prey of lions. Remember, predators follow prey.
• Do not let your pets roam around outside. Bring them in at night. If you keep pets outside, provide a kennel with a secure top. Do not feed pets outside where the food can attract lions or other smaller animals which lions prey upon. Store and dispose of all garbage securely.
• Closely supervise children. Make sure they are home before dusk and not outside before dawn. Make lots of noise if you come or go during times when mountain lions are most active — dusk to dawn. Teach your children about lions and what they should do if they encounter one.
• Landscape or remove vegetation to eliminate hiding cover for lions, especially around areas where children play. Make it difficult for a lion to approach unseen.
• Install outdoor lighting, especially in areas where you walk, so you can see a lion if one were present.
• Close off open spaces below porches or decks.
• Place all livestock in enclosed sheds or barns at night. Close the doors to all outbuildings so that an inquisitive lion is prevented from going inside to look around.
• Also, if you encounter a mountain lion:

Stop or back away slowly if you can do so safely.

• Stay calm when you come upon a lion talk calmly yet firmly to it and move slowly.
• Immediately pick up all children off the ground and tell them to stay calm.
• Do not run from a lion as fleeing behavior may trigger the instinct of the lion to attack.
• Face the lion — do not turn your back — remain in an upright position and look as large as possible (raise your arms, open up your coat, if your wearing one).
• Carry a walking stick and use it to defend yourself by keeping it between you and the lion. If the lion approaches closer or behaves aggressively, arm yourself with the stick, throw rocks or sticks at the lion, and speak louder and more firmly to the lion. Convince the lion you are dominant and a danger to it.
• Fight back if a lion attacks you. Use any possible object within reach as a weapon, such as rocks, sticks, jackets, a backpack or your bare hands. Lions have been driven away by prey that fights back. Stay standing and if you fall down try to get back up on your feet.
• Call police if you feel you are in danger.

Link

7-Foot Gator Loose In Orleans Parish Park

Nuisance Hunter Captures 2 Of 3 Gators Reported At Brechtel Park

POSTED: 6:15 pm CDT April 23, 2009
UPDATED: 6:54 pm CDT April 23, 2009

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Park workers on Thursday tried to oust an unwelcome visitor inside a popular Algiers park.

 

A 7-foot alligator was still on the loose in Brechtel Park as of Thursday evening. 

“It’s very much a common problem,” said park attendee Perrier Sanchez. “They’ve got alligators at Audubon Park, City Park, Brechtel Park.” 

At Brechtel Park, three large alligators recently tried turning a lagoon into their summer home. 

“The park spotted them and was concerned for safety, so they asked us to try and get rid of them,” said Shane Granier, of Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries. 

Lt. Edward Skena with Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries said agents were first notified about the problem in February and hired a nuisance hunter to capture the trespassers. But so far, the hunter has only caught two. 

“The two he caught were between 6 and 7 feet, and he has been unable to locate the third,” Skena said. “It’s between 7 and 8 feet, and he’s still trying to catch it.” 

Skena said that’s just two of about 20 gators they’ve captured this year in Orleans Parish, but park-like settings make the job much more difficult. 

Wildlife and Fisheries employees said they have to catch the alligator by hand. They’re unable to set traps because they want to protect other wildlife and small children. 

“You can’t leave those things unattended, those lines,” Skena said. “There’s a large, sharp hook, and you don’t want children to come in contact with that.” 

Instead, the hunter will fish for the gator. But Skena said, until the gator is captured, guests should use common sense. Don’t feed the alligator and keep children and small pets away from the water’s edge. 

“Basically, if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you — that’s the way I see it,” Sanchez said. 

Wildlife and Fisheries agents said they will continue to receive gator sightings as the temperatures rise, but they have had no reports of gator attacks in Orleans Parish.