The Old Folks Home

[ChickenCanoe]

Heard something rather unexpected yesterday.

Someone I know recently sold a horse to some folks that live near Whiteville (about 35-40 miles from here). He got a call from them yesterday; the horse was attacked by what they are identifying as a panther (also known as a cougar, puma, mountain lion).
...

Historically, panthers did inhabit this area, but they are thought to have been extirpated generations ago. Rumors of their continued survival in the coastal swamps persist, but reported sightings are usually passed off as a bobcat or large dog. I would think that a dog, or even a pack of dogs, would cause different sort of injuries than a cat would, and I find it very hard to believe that a bobcat (with an average weight of less than 25 lbs.) would attack an 800 lb. horse. We have bears around here, of course, but once again, I'd think the damage they might inflict would be different....

I agree with what you say. The mountain lion would most likely jump on the back and bite the neck. Bobcat can do that with deer but I doubt they'd try it on an animal at least 4 times the size of a whitetail. On the rare occasion I've heard of a bear attack, it ran alongside the hooved animal and swatted it in the head bringing it down.

The supposedly last mountain lion in Missouri was killed in 1927 in the bootheel. They are so reclusive though and the terrain of southern MO so rugged and remote, they could have continued to survive. I'm almost positive that my parents and I saw one crossing a windy dirt road ahead of our car when returning to our farm late one night. All three of us recognized it as a big long cat with a long thin tail in the neighborhood of 100 lbs.
In the last 20 years about 50 of the hundreds of reported sightings in MO have been confirmed to be cougars. A couple years ago a mountain lion was caught on a trail cam in Chesterfield, a fairly well populated suburb of St. Louis, county.

Speaking of rare wildlife. I looked at a map and it turns out the woodland along Coldwater creek that Walmart cut down sending the mink my way is only 4500 feet from my house. The creek is less than 1000 feet down the hill from my house and that point is about 4000 ft. downstream from the construction. There's a wide densely wooded buffer along the creek all the way from the construction to the Mississippi river. Not so much upstream. I'm sure Walmart donated them to me

In case anyone is interested, I added a bit of US intervention history to my post reflecting on countries bad behavior over the years.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/693812/the-old-folks-home/20470#post_13964803

 

[ronott1]

Heard something rather unexpected yesterday.

Someone I know recently sold a horse to some folks that live near Whiteville (about 35-40 miles from here). He got a call from them yesterday; the horse was attacked by what they are identifying as a panther (also known as a cougar, puma, mountain lion). I have no details about why they think that's what it was, or the extent of the horse's injuries, but their vet advised them to euthanize the horse, so they did.

Historically, panthers did inhabit this area, but they are thought to have been extirpated generations ago. Rumors of their continued survival in the coastal swamps persist, but reported sightings are usually passed off as a bobcat or large dog. I would think that a dog, or even a pack of dogs, would cause different sort of injuries than a cat would, and I find it very hard to believe that a bobcat (with an average weight of less than 25 lbs.) would attack an 800 lb. horse. We have bears around here, of course, but once again, I'd think the damage they might inflict would be different.

I'm very sorry for the horse, and for the owners, of course, but the situation is intriguing and vaguely disturbing. Is this yet another predator that we need to be aware of?

I am sorry to hear about your Horse!

I read an article recently that sat Panthers were making a comeback. As the population of a species grows, they move into new territory.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Beer math

That's why I had the trash hauler bring a larger recycle bin. They have 3 sizes and I now have the largest - 96 gallon size. It's not all beer cans and wine bottles. We can put almost any recyclable item in there - any plastic except film like wrap, any glass, any aluminum and steel/tin cans, any paper product from corrugated to pizza boxes to slick paper advertisements, even envelopes with plastic windows. Best of all, no pre-sorting. There's hardly anything in our same sized trash can every week. All the kitchen and yard waste either goes to the chickens or compost.

The chickens do not care about crooked posts in the coop.

The chickens don't care but predators and pests appreciate any and all gaps.

 

[ronott1]

.


The chickens don't care but predators and pests appreciate any and all gaps.

Yes!

Make sure you are seeing straight when you attach the wire....

 

[Penny Hen]

Heard something rather unexpected yesterday.

Someone I know recently sold a horse to some folks that live near Whiteville (about 35-40 miles from here). He got a call from them yesterday; the horse was attacked by what they are identifying as a panther (also known as a cougar, puma, mountain lion). I have no details about why they think that's what it was, or the extent of the horse's injuries, but their vet advised them to euthanize the horse, so they did.

Historically, panthers did inhabit this area, but they are thought to have been extirpated generations ago. Rumors of their continued survival in the coastal swamps persist, but reported sightings are usually passed off as a bobcat or large dog. I would think that a dog, or even a pack of dogs, would cause different sort of injuries than a cat would, and I find it very hard to believe that a bobcat (with an average weight of less than 25 lbs.) would attack an 800 lb. horse. We have bears around here, of course, but once again, I'd think the damage they might inflict would be different.

I'm very sorry for the horse, and for the owners, of course, but the situation is intriguing and vaguely disturbing. Is this yet another predator that we need to be aware of?

I live in TN and have a friend who kept missing chickens about 10 years ago. One night just at dusk she was out in the barn and walked in one side down the aisle to the other and herd a noise and turned around. The silhowette of a huge cat was dropping from the hayloft by the doorway that she had just come through. She could tell by how much space it took up in the doorway that it was no bobcat. Of course that is what the Wildlife Dept claimed when she reported it.

The other thing besides a puma that it could be is an escaped exotic cat. It sometimes happens that someone owns one illeagly and to escape prosecution releases it. At one time (shortly before my friend saw this cat) the laws changed and got more restrictive (requiring licences to prove you knew how to safely house and take care of a big dangerous cat) and there had been a rash of releases. In my friend's case the cat seemed to move on because she quit loosing chickens.

With modern forensics samples from the dead horse could be taken and analysed so that they could know just what species they are dealing with.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

...
The other thing besides a puma that it could be is an escaped exotic cat. It sometimes happens that someone owns one illeagly and to escape prosecution releases it. At one time (shortly before my friend saw this cat) the laws changed and got more restrictive (requiring licences to prove you knew how to safely house and take care of a big dangerous cat) and there had been a rash of releases. In my friend's case the cat seemed to move on because she quit loosing chickens.

With modern forensics samples from the dead horse could be taken and analysed so that they could know just what species they are dealing with.

Good points. With DNA they can even tell what part of the country the cougars, bears and wolves in MO come from. DNA shows a lot of ours come from Colorado and South Dakota populations. http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/w...-lion-reports/confirmed-mountain-lion-reports

I saw a story on the news this morning about a pet leopard in Russia where it is illegal. A neighbor saw it outside and reported it. Authorities confiscated it but had to return it to it's owner when it quit eating to save its life. They're trying to work something out where the guy can come hand feed it in a government facility.

 

[LindaB220]

I went over a few days ago to give my neighbor some honey from our hive. She answered the door in her underwear (and both her kids were completely naked). Upon answering the door she then began to explain that her underwear were nude colored, but she was wearing them. Uh, yes, I noticed that.

Life in the country. I love it.

Teaching her kids to be liberated?

 

[LindaB220]

Just made this tonight and it's already gone.

http://m.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/cake/one-bowl-apple-cake-2.html

That has to be the coolest thing every. I'm gonna make it. (When I get some apples)

 

[beverly evans]

Oz I just recently learned that there was an internment camp in Utah while I was listening to an interview with George Takei. He and his family were interred in one of the camps in Arkansas. His description of the day they were made to leave their home was eye opening. For a country to turn their back on U.S. citizens is still hard to understand. I am planning a photography trip down to the camp site. There is not much left at the site and they are working on a small museum but I would like to capture the "feel" of the place if I can. The site opened on September 11, 1942 and closed October 31, 1945. Hard to believe they kept those people away from their homes for over three years.

And most lost everything because there was no one working to pay their mortgages or to look after their belongings.

 

[LindaB220]

If someone asks my heritage I tell them I'm a Heinz 57. There is native American, English, Irish, maybe some German and I don't know what all else. Or rather I don't remember what else.

Sylviaanne, we could be sisters. That is exactly what I am. By way of Ark to La. Coming from the deep south I'm most proud of the English and Irish. I didn't know about the Irish stigma. I think all of me is cool. We came to these shores too late to be slave owners. I have no prejudice to anybody. I went to work in a bank in 1966 and worked with the first black to EVER work in an office on main street Shreveport. She became on of my best friends. I support, gays, liberal ladies, blacks or any asian.or latino. I'm agnostic. That's who I am and don't want to change it. Tried to instill all to my 3 daughters. And mostly I did. .