Posted on 02/07/2005 1:13:36 PM PST by genefromjersey
The Beast in the Garden,by environmental issues writer David Baron is a true story,which presents the background of the first (known)fatal human/cougar encounter,which took place in the Boulder,Colorado area in 1991.
The incident was pretty much "buried" by the national media,because the First Gulf War had just begun,but even the local newspapers relegated it to the inside pages.
The residents of Boulder-one of the most liberal cities in the United States-valued wildlife so much,they let deer roam their streets and strip their gardens.When the presence of so many deer brought cougars,they rejoiced !
When the cougars began hunting in the daytime,and preying on residents' dogs and cats,the Boulder residents rallied to the predators' defense: brushing aside warnings the big cats were becoming dangerously habituated to humans,and howling with indignation when one marauding cat was tracked down and killed.
After a high school athlete from a nearby suburb was stalked,killed,and partially eaten,and the responsible animal was shot dead at the scene,the Boulderites were willing to forgive and forget.(Apparently,since the victim was not one of their children,it was perfectly okay.)
The author gets a bit too scholarly in presenting background at times,but he nails the liberal elite !
You should be able to find this book in the "new books" section (non-fiction) of your local library.
We had a guy lose 3 livestock to a cougar and he had to request permission to have it shot.
If I see a big cat on my property.. well, lets just say that the teeth and claws will make a neat necklace.
It touches every aspect of modern life, from science to medicine to politics to family.
Ahhh. Another believer in the Triple-S approach to guarding livestock ... Shoot ... Shovel ... and Shut up about it.
Don't get caught.
The Colorado DOW will crucify you for it.
"the first (known) fatal human/cougar encounter,which took place in the Boulder,Colorado area in 1991"
Bullshit. There were dozens of recorded human-cougar fatalities before this one.
When you go into their turf, you're not some omnipotent all-powerful creature to them. You're just another slow, fat animal. They are faster stronger, and have better senses.
As with any predator, if you are in their turf, either play by their rules (a .45 doesn't hurt), or expect to get hurt if you cross the line. 99.99% of the time they won't hurt a human. It's just when there's a breakdown in their perceptions.
Joggers running away from them triggers their predatorory response (just like your neighbor's doberman), or they mistake you for prey, or are just confused.
A lot of folks go into the woods in camoflauge, and then wonder why the critters don't act afraid of them. Duh, you no longer look like the humans they're scared of.
One of my hunting buddies was sitting next to a log calling turkeys and got jumped by a cougar. As soon as the cat hit him and rolled off, it turned around, saw that he wasn't a bush making turkey noises and ran off.
He was sore for a couple of days (he said it was like getting hit by a linebacker), but otherwise unhurt.
The moral is, if you're on their turf, don't mess w/them keep your wits, and don't act like a stupid, fat animal.
In your turf, if they're eating your poodle, you are on your own.
SSS works for trespassers too. :)
Just a little footnote: When I was about 12 or 13,I went camping in NY's southern "Catskill" range-the Shawangunk mountains,with my brothers and some school friends. A cougar killed a deer,and dragged it past our tent in the night,leaving behind part of a chewed off leg.
We knew it was a cougar from the pug mark tracks.
This would have been in the mid-1940's.
Some 20 years later,while prowling the NJ Pine Barrens,I came upon cougar tracks in the sand,and,out of curiosity,began following them.It suddenly dawned on me the tracks were fresh,that they were going in a big circle,and that they would,before too much longer,be coming up behind me !
(There were several independent sightings of cougars in that area over the next year or so: all of which were ridiculed by the "wildlife experts".)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.