Shoot it, bury it, and shut up.
Posted on 09/03/2005 7:04:37 AM PDT by holymoly
Wendy Chamberlain braked her car and stared -- staring back at her was a full grown cougar, standing in the middle of Callahan Road.
"I couldn't believe my eyes," she said Friday, rubbing away the goosebumps on her arm.
The sighting occurred Thursday morning, the day after a horse was killed in Parma Township, the victim of a cougar attack.
As the Parma Township supervisor watched in stunned silence, the large cat lumbered slowly off the road and disappeared into the weeds. It only added to her concern. "There's a cougar and people need to know," she said.
There have been five reported cougar sightings in Jackson County in recent weeks, county animal control officers said.
Patrick Rusz, director of wildlife programs at the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy who has been researching cougars in Michigan for the past six years, said Michigan's habitat and large deer population make it a natural place for cougars.
Rusz came to Parma Township Friday to investigate the horse's death. He had the body exhumed and examined the bite marks and other injuries.
"It was classic cougar," Rusz said, explaining that the 26-year-old registered Arabian died from a bite at the base of the skull. The horse had numerous other puncture marks on the head and neck from the cougar's 21/2-inch fangs.
"It was as neat a case as I've ever seen," he said.
Machelle Dunlap, an officer at the Jackson County Animal Control, was the first to suspect a cougar when she was called to the farm on Wednesday.
"The owner thought maybe it had been shot, which would be a cruelty case," she said.
Family members told her their dog began barking incessantly at about 1:30 a.m. and they could hear their horses whinnying, Dunlap said.
The family's name is not being released to avoid attracting sightseers or hunters who may try and capture the wild animal.
Cougars are protected under the Endangered Species Act and may not be killed without a special permit.
Once she ruled out gunshots or other wild animals as the cause of death, Dunlap contacted Rusz, who confirmed her suspicions.
Dunlap, Chamberlain and a Michigan state trooper also explored the area off Callahan Road where Chamberlain saw the cougar. It was a little more than a mile from where the horse was killed.
They found prints, smelled urine and found a utility pole that appeared to have been used as a scratching post by the cat.
Shoot it, bury it, and shut up.
Cougar was probably a white, racist.
EEEP!
Oh, I bet he's endangered all right.
That's close to home.
We must have permission to protect our lives and our property. If we do not have permission we must wait for the government to give it to us.
Hey!
that must be one BIG cougar. Deer is their usual prey. Even if it weighed close to two hundred pounds...
We live in exurban NJ and some people in town claim they saw a cougar this spring.
Mrs VS
This is exactly the same attitude that prevailed in (I believe) Colorado. Cougars are SACRED !
After a cougar attacked a high school student in broad daylight, partially consumed him, and was ready to attack a search party that discovered the remains,attitudes shifted a tiny bit.
When large predators become so habituated to humans that they will kill livestock and pets, they are a CLEAR DANGER to humans,and should be destroyed ASAP !
I'm sure we have a few. Back about 10-12 years ago, I spotted cougar tracks in the Pine Barrens - out near Ong's Hat-, and began following them-then noticed the tracks were making a big circle: meaning kitty cat was moving in behind me.
(Back to the car time !)
They are immensely strong for their size, and have been known to kill full-grown elk. Not something that should be tolerated near human habitats, not matter how pretty the environmentalists think they look.
Well, you could try to make it a pet....
Seriously, the next step up-for the cougar- is the killing of household pets,right in their yards.When that begins to happen, the big cats are not afraid of humans any more;and it is a matter of time before they begin to consider us as din-din.
Who's back yard are you going to put it in dear?
What are these wild animals suppose to do when they run out of room?
They are expanding their territory. What are we suppose to do when we run out of room?
Shall we all commit suicide so the cute kitties can run free? We have a right to be here too you know.
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