Washington State Dep. of Wildlife---AHHHH!! They wont help!!

[mistyfeather]

hear we have a huge mountain lion problem, when i was i elementry school there was one stalking the school ! every morning there were new tracks, they would not come trap it, the school ended up having to put up a chain fence 12' high with another 3' of barbed wire at the top around the playground area

the back of the school looks like a prisson now, but no more big kitty track in the playground

 

[chickerdoodle]

Quote:
Unfortunately part of this is true.

It's hard to hear, especially when you have children. Basically the cougar has been hunted and killed for just living in their natural habitat. When it hunts livestock because its hunting grounds have been squeezed by new homes it is persecuted and destroyed. I do not blame you for worrying about your hens and family as I would be too. The issue is that they are doing the same as us and just trying to stay alive and feed their families. Electric fencing is not too expensive and worth it. A good zap will make many critters think twice before touching it again--some can even hear the buzz of current. If you had the financial ability to have a high chain link fence with a electric wire on top it would be quite formidable to a cougar. Realistically, its a bit expensive for some folks. Chicken wire is easy to break through and is only to keep chickens in and not predators out so that is unrealistic to think it should protect the birds alone. Heavy welded wire is more effective and I'd add an electric wire near the bottom and top.

I wish I had a plan to help protect your children that would be easy. My best idea is electric fencing. A cougar is usually near starving, young and inexperienced or old and in poor shape to attack humans. I know that seems like some "animal hugger's" opinion but we do have to be respectful of sentient creatures we share the planet with. Cougars along with other animals have lost so much habitat due to humans encroaching that we need to come up with a viable, fair way to deal with this issue and still enjoy outdoor living. OK, I know I went on too long but I just can't stop myself.

 

[erinm]

i WOULD NOT WANT A COUGAR AROUND ME EITHER BUT WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK WAS THERE BEFORE THE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS? fOREST FILLED WITH WILDLIFE. iF THERE WERE NOT SO MANY OF THEM MAYBE THE COUGARS WOULD STAY IN THE FOREST. tHEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SPACE AND NEITHER DO OTHER ANIMALS. mAKE SOME NOISE PUT ONE OF THOSE AUTOMATIC SPRINKLERS THAT SENDS OUT A HARD JET OF SPRAY. oops MY cap Lock was one and didn't know. Wasn't yelling.....Play a radio on a talk station. We have bears and coyote near us It is something that we have to learn to deal with unfortunately. I don't want to come across a bear but I might . So what do i do? I go out with a cow bell and make noise!

 

[noodleroo]

Quote:
That's the problem; there aren't enough prey animals for the big cats to survive in a developed neighborhood. This is not a 'leave it alone, it was there first' situation. It needs prey animals and being a top of the food chain animal, will take what it can get AND what it wants. That will end up being dogs, cats, chickens, and small humans if the opportunity presents itself. If not it will starve and die.

This is why it is necessary for the wildlife department to do its job and relocate the cat to a habitat where it CAN thrive. To me, its kind of like the Gulf oil spill. Rescuers have trapped and cleaned birds, brown pelicans in particular, and relocated them to my area to wetlands that are unaffected by the spill. Their original environment has drastically changed and they can't stay there.

If the cougar had its territory invaded by a toxic spill, would it be smart to say 'just leave it there, it was there first'? No it wouldn't; like it or not, its circumstances have changed because of development and if it is to be saved, SHOULD be relocated.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

Quote:
Very nicely worded and I agree. The OP's heart is in the right place. It is hard to tell how recent the subdivision was created.

We all need to pay attention to retaining
wild land for wildlife
agricultural land for agriculture (that is disappearing fast too)

We all need to resist the urge to move to these environments, which is spreading the "toxic spill" that affects these dwindling areas.

If we do move to wildlife or agricultural land, we should expect to deal with the status quo of that land.

If you live near wildlife reserves, adjust your lifestyle to having lots of wildlife around. The deer are going to eat your garden and the predators are going to eat your chickens and possibly endanger your family's personal safety. Live your life with that in mind, or you will be frustrated and unhappy.

If you move to an agricultural area, adjust to the smells, sounds and inconveniences of life in the farm zone. Like the chickens in my front yard.

Slow tractors on the roads and the neighbor shooting coyotes for chasing their sheep. There are no sidewalks or other municipal ammenities, so fix your own septic system. If you do not own the view out your big picture window, do not be shocked and amazed when the guy who does puts in a pig barn.

Of course, living in a major city, you would have to put up with different safety issues, different kinds of predators on the streets....

 

[KristaChickenWhisperer]

Yes. Before the housing development went in there was a forest full of wildlife, but even so it was NEVER a native habitat for cougars.

Cougars, MOUNTAIN lions, live in the mountains and are mainly native to the Eastern side of the state. There are plenty of prey animals there for them to live off of where as here there have never been any prey animals for them to feed off of (I do not live in an area that has large deer and such which is what they prey on). So the poor thing is having to resort to eating small animals which is barely enough to feed an adult cougar.

I don't complain about the coyotes we have in our greenbelt, because I know the coyotes are native to the area and understand that they're just trying to live. I also don't call and complain about the raccoons or opossums. Even when my entire flock was wiped out by a raccoon.

I have been here my whole life. I know what's native and what is not, and a cougar just doesn't belong here. It needs to be somewhere where it can thrive.

Its not just for our well being but the cougar's well being too.

 

[barredrockgrl]

Quote:
Very nicely worded and I agree. The OP's heart is in the right place. It is hard to tell how recent the subdivision was created.

We all need to pay attention to retaining
wild land for wildlife
agricultural land for agriculture (that is disappearing fast too)

We all need to resist the urge to move to these environments, which is spreading the "toxic spill" that affects these dwindling areas.

If we do move to wildlife or agricultural land, we should expect to deal with the status quo of that land.

If you live near wildlife reserves, adjust your lifestyle to having lots of wildlife around. The deer are going to eat your garden and the predators are going to eat your chickens and possibly endanger your family's personal safety. Live your life with that in mind, or you will be frustrated and unhappy.

If you move to an agricultural area, adjust to the smells, sounds and inconveniences of life in the farm zone. Like the chickens in my front yard.

Slow tractors on the roads and the neighbor shooting coyotes for chasing their sheep. There are no sidewalks or other municipal ammenities, so fix your own septic system. If you do not own the view out your big picture window, do not be shocked and amazed when the guy who does puts in a pig barn.

Of course, living in a major city, you would have to put up with different safety issues, different kinds of predators on the streets....

Your take on agricultural land was great! Sounds like my idea of paradise, and some of it it stuff I deal with living semi-rurally now. *contented sigh*

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

Quote:
I'm on your side. Good Luck to you!

 

[NarutoTn]

i have 9 main words.


GET A GUN.KILL IT.OR SHOOT AT IT.




If you can kill it or if its stalking around your pens.

 

[JasperCountyNative]

Quote:

Try this:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/state_office/washington_info.shtml