Free Republic

Deer aren’t the slim, graceful vegans we thought they were. Scientists using field cameras have caught deer preying on nestling song birds. And it’s not just deer. Herbivores the world over may be supplementing their diets. When researchers in North Dakota set up “nest cams” over the nests of song birds, they expected to see a lot of nestlings and eggs get taken by ground squirrels, foxes, and badgers. Squirrels hit thirteen nests, but other meat-eaters made a poor showing. Foxes and weasels only took one nest each. Know what fearsome animal out-did either of those two sleek, resourceful predators?...

Seeing fewer quail on your hunting lease? Maybe it's time you stop pointing the finger at coyotes, raccoons and fire ants and place the blame on your murderous herd of white-tailed deer. Believe it or not, researchers have discovered deer will raid the happy homes of ground-nesting birds and enjoy a nice breakfast of eggs or fledglings. Pam Pietz, a wildlife biologist at the U.S. Geological Survey's Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in North Dakota, set up miniature video cameras that ran 24 hours a day to document the fate of grassland songbird nests, according to the USGS. She was...

A ProMED-mail post ProMED-mail, a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases [1] Date: 2 Apr 2005 From: ProMED-mail Source: NY Dept. of Agriculture press release [edited] 2nd Case of CWD Found in Oneida County Deer State's Trace Back Finds 2nd Positive CWD in Herd Directly Linked to Index Herd ----------------------------------------------- A 2nd positive case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in New York State has been confirmed in a white-tailed deer from a captive herd in Oneida County that is directly linked to the herd where a white-tailed doe was found positive for CWD earlier this week. CWD is...

The ACLU is now suing for the right to allow people to operate nude camps for teens. The group filed a motion in Richmand, Virginia to invalidate a state ban on such camps. The state had imposed the ban because White Tail Park had attempted to operate a camp last year for kids aged 11-18. The ACLU is attempting to make the argument that lawmakers over reached and over reacted to the camp by passing such a ban. The ACLU is also arguing that such a ban "interferes" with the "right" of a family to raise and nurture their children....