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http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/06/kitten-survives-1000-mile-trip-in-engine-of-honda/
This 4-5 day young orphaned fawn was found next to her dead mother two days ago.
She is now resting quietly, consuming her special doe replacement formula.
If you or someone you know encounters a fawn, PLEASE call our rescue hotline or DFW before intervening.
Healthy fawns may lay or stand quietly by themselves in one location for hours while their mother is away feeding. Once a fawn is removed from its mother, it can lose the ability to survive in the wild. The same danger applies to most animals, including bears, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, raccoons and most birds.
On average the state’s rehabilitation facilities receive an average of around 400-500 fawns per year from well-meaning members of the public. Many of these fawns were healthy and should not have been disturbed. People can call a rehabilitator, ( see below) who will determine whether there is a need for a rescue. Rehabilitators are trained to provide care for wild animals so they retain their natural fear of humans and do not become habituated or imprinted.
Julia J. Di Sieno
May 5, 2013 12:26 AM
Last December, two starving mountain lion kittens were killed in Half Moon Bay by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). An outdated public safety policy forced the department to kill any lion that accidentally wandered into a human-populated area — even an orphaned kitten no larger than a house cat.
Thankfully, CDFW has since revised its policy, allowing lost lions that are not posing an immediate threat to human life to be safely returned to the wild, or cubs/kittens to be rehabilitated. However, the agency needs legal authorization to carry out some portions of the new policy, such as working with licensed vets and CDFW-permitted wildlife rescue groups to help tranquilize and rehabilitate lions.
The Mountain Lion Foundation and state Sen. Jerry Hill have written and introduced legislation to give the department the necessary authorization. Senate Bill 132 will require CDFW to use nonlethal measures unless the mountain lion poses an immediate threat to the public, and it will, finally, allow local wildlife professionals to assist the department in these situations.
This legislation hits particularly close to home for our volunteers, staff and veterinarians. In 2009, the Animal Rescue Team nearly faced criminal charges after assisting our local wardens with capturing and treating two sickly four-month-old orphaned lion kittens. Thankfully, the district attorney saw that we were only serving our community, our wildlife and CDFW, and ultimately refused to prosecute the case.
Our dilemma exposed a huge hole in the current law. Passing Senate Bill 132 will finally remove this technicality and allow the 100 state-qualified wildlife facilities and veterinarians to come to the aid of California’s lions. This will also save the department and, ultimately, the taxpayer, money in the long run.
Animal Rescue Team would love to offer our services — at no cost to the department — which include: hazing with less-than-lethal ammunition, tranquilizing, capturing, transporting, treating and releasing mountain lions. Our animal ambulance is on call 24 hours a day. Animal Rescue Team already had cages built to the current standards of holding sick, injured or displaced lion cubs.
This much-needed bill is currently supported by 20 animal organizations, including the ASPCA, Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Sierra Club, Mountain Lion Foundation and, of course, the Animal Rescue Team Inc.
As urban areas expand farther into mountain lion habitat, we must adapt by increasing nonlethal policies. California’s only specially protected mammal, the mountain lion, deserves the extended protection that SB 132 grants. And as an organization that frequently partners with California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers to haze, capture and rehabilitate wildlife, it’s long overdue that mountain lions be added to the list of species we are authorized to help.
Please help Senate Bill 132 pass by writing a short letter to your local state senator and Assembly member telling them you are a constituent who supports SB 132 and California’s efforts to coexist with our native wildlife.
This bill is a win-win for people and wildlife, and upon its passage we look forward to being put to good use to help California’s precious mountain lions.
The author is executive director and co-founder of Animal Rescue Team, Inc.
MOUNTAIN LION BIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR
SCIENTIFIC NAME
Puma concolor – Cat of one color
COMMON NAMES
Puma concolor is listed in dictionaries under more names than any other animal in the world. There are at least 18 South American native terms, 25 native North American, and 40 English names for mountain lions. The species most common names are:
Mountain lion, cougar, panther, puma, painter, concolor, cat of one color, cat of many names, tyger, ghost walker, klandagi, cuguacuarana, leopardo, catamount, koe-ishto, ko-icto, and el leon.
APPEARANCE
The mountain lion is tan in color, with black tipped ears and tail. Adults weigh 80 to 180 pounds and stand two to three feet high at the shoulders. The length of an adult lion is 6 to 8 feet from the nose to the tip of the tail. The tail measures one-third of the lions length. Mountain lion kittens have camouflaging spots and rings around their tails.
BEHAVIOR
Mountain lions are calm, quiet and elusive. They prefer areas with dense undergrowth and cover, and will leave an area where they perceive a threat. Mountain lions live solitary lives, spacing themselves across their habitat by marking and defending areas known as home ranges. Home ranges contain resources cougars need to survive: hunting areas, water sources, safe resting places, lookouts, and for females, safe places to raise young. Although lions are solitary unless mating or accompanied by their young, their territories will often overlap those of the opposite sex, and only occasionally overlap with those of the same sex. A males home range is generally larger than a females. The home territories of mountain lions can cover hundreds of square miles, depending on the availability of prey, time of year, and changes in the local vegetation.
DIET
An opportunistic hunter, mountain lions eat prey that is familiar and easily available. They hunt alone from dusk to dawn, taking their prey primarily from behind. Mountain lions primary prey is deer, but they also feed on wild hogs, raccoons, rabbits, porcupines, and birds. A mountain lion may kill a deer every one to four weeks. They often drag their kill to another area and then cover it with dry leaves, grass or pine needles known as caching to protect it from other animals and to reduce spoilage. A lion often returns to the kill several times to feed, for a period of three days to one week.
As one of North Americas largest predators, mountain lions play an essential role in maintaining the health of deer populations. Cougars often prey on the sick, weak, young, and old deer, which helps to control disease and keeps the deer herds strong. Also, they keep deer populations from growing too large or staying in an area for too long and over-browsing their habitat. Over-browsing can threaten native plants and also destroy important habitat for song birds and other animals.
DISTRIBUTION
Americas lion has roamed throughout the Americas for at least 50,000 years. From deserts to humid coast forests, lions live from sea level to snow-covered mountains. They once ranged from coast to coast and from South America into Northern Canada. Today, because of habitat loss and efforts to exterminate mountain lions in North America, sustainable populations exist in only 12 Western U.S. states, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. A small population exists in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and an endangered population in the tip of Florida (the Florida panther). Mountain lions prefer areas with dense undergrowth and cover, and will leave an area where they perceive a threat. Research has shown that mountain lions often change their movement patterns to avoid human occupied areas, or areas where humans are most active.
Wild Animals Ruined, Even Killed,
by People’s Carelessness!
Wild animals are in trouble, and the problem is people who are careless with food and garbage.
Coyotes play an important role in the ecosystem, helping to keep rodent populations under control. They are by nature fearful of humans.
If coyotes are given access to human food and garbage, their behavior changes. They lose
caution and fear. They may cause property damage. They might threaten human safety. They might be killed.
Relocating a problem coyote is not an option because it only moves the problem to someone else’s neighborhood.
Help prevent deadly conflicts for these beautiful wild animals.
“Coyote country” precautions
Never feed or attempt to tame coyotes. The result may be deadly conflicts with pets or livestock, or serious injuries to small children.
Do not leave small children or pets outside unattended.
Install motion-sensitive lighting around the house.
Trim ground-level shrubbery to reduce hiding places.
Be aware that coyotes are more active in the spring, when feeding and protecting their young.
If followed by a coyote, make loud noises. If this fails, throw rocks in the animal’s direction.
If a coyote attacks a person, immediately contact the nearest Department of Fish and Game or law enforcement office.
Stash Your Food and Trash
Allowing coyotes access to human food and garbage is reckless and deadly.
Coyotes primarily hunt rodents and rabbits for food, but will take advantage of whatever is available, including garbage, pet food, and domestic animals.
Put garbage in tightly closed containers that cannot be tipped over.
Remove sources of water, especially in dry climates.
Bring pets in at night, and do not leave pet food outside.
Put away bird feeders at night to avoid attracting rodents and other coyote prey.
Provide secure enclosures for rabbits, poultry, etc.
Pick up fallen fruit and cover compost piles.
Ask your neighbors to follow these tips.
Please respect and protect wild animals.
Keep them wild.
Vole Control
Rodent baits are often used to control voles. Their populations tend to be cyclical and once established, vole colonies are not easy to control.
One of the most effective ways to discourage voles from moving in is to simply mow grasses down to no more than two inches or disk around sites that need to be protected. Either action will reduce or eliminate their preferred habitat. Often, if you don’t control the vole population, there may be little you can do about it. The secret is to protect sensitive sites – such as gardens – by mowing or disking the area before the population gets too high.
If you must use a rodent bait to control voles, only use those baits intended for field rodents. Their labels will identify chlorphacinone or diphacinone as the active ingredient. Baits should only be used in small treatment areas and the areas should be checked daily for dead rodents.
With very high vole populations, rodent baits may ultimately have little effect. The best approach is to protect sensitive sites – such as gardens – by mowing or disking the area before the population gets too high.
Rodenticides can harm wildlife; please use carefully
Throughout California, the careless use of poison baits used to control rodents has injured and killed numerous wild animals and pets. This is because scavenging birds like owls, hawks, and predators such as raccoons, foxes, skunks and coyotes that eat dead or dying rodents that have consumed these baits will also be poisoned.
Pets will also eat dead or dying rodents and unprotected bait. You can protect both pets and wildlife by reading – and following – the label directions of any rodent baits you purchase, and only purchasing those that are legal for the pest you are trying to control.
Protect your wild neighbors and pets from accidental poisoning. Use all pesticides very carefully and follow all label directions, or chose organic or mechanical pest control methods.
Rodenticide Baits: Frequently-Asked Questions
Q. How do rodent baits harm wildlife and pets?
A. It’s possible for wildlife and pets to consume the poison directly. However, it’s more likely that these animals have received a secondary exposure. A secondary exposure occurs when wildlife or pets consume dead or dying rodents that have eaten the rodent bait. Wildlife that can be affected by secondary poisoning include owls, hawks, other scavenging birds and predators such as raccoons, foxes, skunks and coyotes.
Q. How can I protect wildlife and pets, but still control rodent pests?
A. Rodent bait users must follow label directions carefully. Some rodent baits, for example those that contain the active ingredients chlorphacinone and diphacinone, are legal to use in outdoor areas. These products can be used to control field rodents such as gophers, voles and ground squirrels. Other rodent bait products, such as those that contain the active ingredients broadifacoum, bromodialone or difethialone, can only be used to control rodents found within structures, like rats and mice.
Read product labels carefully before using any pesticide, and follow directions exactly.
Check daily for dead rodents. Wearing gloves, collect the carcasses as soon as possible, place in plastic bags and dispose in garbage cans with tight lids that other animals can’t open. Always wear protective gloves when handling any dead animal.
Q. Where can I get the rodenticide with chlorphacinone and diphacinone?
A. These products are sold at many hardware, nursery and farm supply stores. Depending on the county, they may also be sold by the county agricultural commissioner’s office.
Q. Why are chlorphacinone and diphacinone safer to use in open spaces?
A. Chlorphacinone and diphacinone are less toxic to mammals, and are eliminated rather quickly from the bodies of animals that ingest them. These products generally require multiple feedings before killing rodent pests.
Q. What kind of rodenticides should I NOT use in the yard, away from buildings?
A. Over-the-counter rodenticides, such as d-Con®, that contain the active ingredients brodifacoum, bromadiolone or difethialone. These can only be legally used to control rats and house mice in and around structures. It is illegal to use these products in open areas such as pastures or fields.
Q. Why is brodifacoum so dangerous for wildlife and pets?
A. Brodifacoum, bromodialone and difethialone pose a greater secondary toxicity risk to wildlife and pets than products that contain chlorphacinone and diphacinone. These products are more toxic to mammals, stay longer in the bodies of animals that ingest them and can kill with a single feeding. Their residues are most likely ingested by scavenging dead rodents. Deer are sometimes attracted to the pellet form of brodifacoum.
Q. How do these rodent baits work?
A. Both types of rodenticides are anti-coagulants. Animals that ingest them die from internal hemorrhaging (bleeding).
Q. How do you know rodent baits are poisoning wildlife?
A. Since 1994, DFG’s Pesticide Investigations Unit has confirmed at least 136 cases of wildlife poisoning from anticoagulant rodent baits. Brodifacoum was the poison most frequently detected. Animals harmed include coyote, gray fox, San Joaquin kit fox, raccoon, fox squirrel, bobcat, red fox, mountain lion, black bear, Hermann’s kangaroo rat, golden eagle, Canada goose, great-horned owl, barn owl, red-shouldered hawk, red-tailed hawk, Cooper’s hawk, turkey vulture and wild turkey.
Since animals typically retreat to their dens, burrows or other hiding places in the final stages of anticoagulant poisoning, the number of non-target wildlife killed by these compounds may be much greater than we know. DFG researchers have found that most birds and mammals killed by anti-coagulants are found in areas adjacent to urban development.
Q. Can I control rodent pests without using poison baits?
A. You can discourage some rodents from moving in by keeping grasses mowed at no more than two inches or by disking around sites that need to be protected. (See Vole Control, below.)
Q. I found a dead raccoon (or other small wild animal) in my yard. What should I do?
A. First, do NOT touch it bare-handed. Wildlife can carry diseases and parasites, so always wear protective clothing – especially gloves – before handling dead or dying animals of any kind. If you’re in an urban or suburban area, call your city or county animal control office with detailed information about the animal’s appearance and condition. Even if they don’t have the staff to come retrieve it, they need to know about it, as the one you found may not be the only one.
Q. If I think my pet has been poisoned, what should I do?
A. If your pet is having seizures, is unconscious or losing consciousness, or is having difficulty breathing, phone ahead and take your pet immediately to your local veterinarian or emergency veterinary clinic.
By Edhat Subscriber
An update on Hank (the Tank) and Sophie, the 2 kitties rescued by Julia and the Animal Rescue Team last summer (from the trunk of a car) are thriving. At 8 months, Hank is already 12 lbs and Sophie a mere 7. The other picture is the two of them at 2 months. Thank you again Julia for trusting me with these two wonderful kitties.
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