Cougars, Bears, Coyotes, Foxes, Raccoons, Weasels, Hawks, Owls, Eagles

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AMEN, sister!!!!

T.O.M. - You kind of summed it up (without realizing it) when you said
These pets of ours depend on us to feed them, water them, keep them warm and protect them.

When we take on pets it is our responsibility to protect them from wild animals, NOT to try and rid the territory we ultimately invaded of those animals that were there first.

Before making such rash judgements on the horribleness of these "wild, bloodthirsty animals" people need to find an area where the residents have found a way to live in harmony with the predators and take that as an example.

Right now I have a Kodiak brown bear prowling my neighborhood, waiting for the salmon runs to arrive. But I am not going to rush out and shoot him, just to prevent him from getting my chickens and ducks. Instead, I did the responsible thing and put up and electric fence to keep him out of the coop. My dogs still go out, my daughter rides her bicycle through the neighborhood, the birds free range during the day - all is well and the bear is alive.​
 
Thanks Kodiakchicken....I was beginning to think I wasn't going to find any like-minds here at the BYC.
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Restoring my faith in humankind as it dwindles with each passing day.....I prefer animals to humans....they don't disappoint me. Except for our dog, Nova, she's such a brat!
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They have been planting breeding pairs all over the country for ages. My boy "Ben" was a pup destined to be destroyed when I rescued him 14 years ago because DNA testing showed 1/4 Husky blood in his mother. She and 6 pups were due to be killed and I rescued two of them from the breeding program.

Ben weighed 146 lbs most summers and in spring he came in at about 160 lbs. He was the most loving, gentle and protective member of our family. He protected my little girl as if she belonged to him. He would carry her in her blanket around the house when she weighed as little as 4 lbs, just to make sure she was in a place that he could protect her. He has been gone since January of 2007 and there is not a day that we do not miss him. They are truly incredible animals.

The government will also reimburse you for the losses suffered by these wolves. Cattle ranchers and such lie about wolves killing their cattle or they turn in different photos of the same cow killed multiple times to get paid for it several times. I believe it applies to all livestock and poultry. The game office should be able to tell you.

The wolves are less likely to attack your chickens as coyotes are, the prefer larger prey. If they are starving or the chickens are free ranging and easy targets they might snatch a couple. Good luck with them.
 
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One thing wolves do kill with abandon is coyotes. We don't have wolves yet in western oregon, though I am sure we will within the next 5-10 years. Wolves tend to kill the weak, which leaves the strongest animals to reproduce, thus aiding the sustainability of their prey over the long term. They also kill other predators (such as coyotes, raccoons and sometimes even cougars) who right now have nothing keeping their numbers down. I am sure it's scary having something that big and intelligent around, but we will have to adapt our defenses to account for their presence. Electric fences, etc. If it works for bears and domestic dogs I don't see why it wouldn't work for a wolf. Hopefully in a few years you will see the coyote population drop as the wolves do their job.

You are still smarter than the wolves, and I'm sure you can predator proof enough that you won't suffer big losses from them.
 
I'm glad to see that there are others that understand that predators are not to be viewed as big, bad killers and that it's our responsibility as pet owners to prevent predators from getting to them. I learned to understand bears so much more once I let go of my preconcieved notions and listened to the experts.
 
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Wolves are not big destructive animals. They only hunt what they need, avoid humans and play a very important part in the ecosystem. They prefer to and do eat things that will eat your chickens before they will eat your chickens.

People fear what they do not understand and worse condemn them because they do not wish to learn about the animal. Not saying you in particular but that stuff is what gave Wolverines such a horrid label and I would rather face five of those than one ticked off badger. LOL
 
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That fence better be at least 10 feet high or they will go over it. My boy could clear a 10 footer with ease when it suited him and an 8 foot privacy fence was play for him.

I would not be surprised to have wolves in oregon...they do not read state boundary signs and they are all around us. There is a wolf rehab facility not far from me.
 
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