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EeeeUUU...wildlife research

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door knob solitaire

Ideal_Rock
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The reason was a desire to learn what was leaving large footprints in the soil and dog like "presents" on our new driveway. We found (the presents) contained a funny substance that actually would eat right into the asphalt. Not kidding. Sort of like acid. Toxic strength. So a daily afternoon stroll down this 1500 foot drive I may find 3 presents and are driven to kick them off so the asphalt wouldn''t sustain any more damage. In doing so I couldn''t help notice they contain a large quanity of hair. Stick with me....I know this is icky...anyway what creature can "deposit" something that can eat through asphalt?

My husband and I pulled into the driveway last night and we both saw a pair of glowing marbles the size of quarters...1500 feet away. The movement of them was steady and level and about 4 feet off of the ground. We could see the eyes until they reached our 6 foot chain link fence with 3 feet of barbed wire on top...total of 9 feet...the eyes disappeared! What ever this thing was it was over that fence in a milisecond. Hubby said that it had to be aliens...you know the ones from MARS.

Research...and EEEEEuuuuuu...I have been out there quietly walking the grounds...alone...in the wee hours of the night...enjoying my private time...the noises and also the quiet...and I have just learned that the large paw prints I have been seeing and the "deposits" are the work of a 200lb cougar!!!
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As in BIG CAT. As in claws and fangs and a growl to make you loose it! Me and my itty bitty self and my cup of joe...and this this predator...looking for a late night snack. EEEEEuuuuuu. My dogs are leashed now...not allowed out after dusk without a leash. These THINGS can do a vertical jump and climb a tree in a heartbeat. It could have been in the trees and I walking beneath.

Arrgh...Hubby thought it would be wise for me to grab a cookie, rub some deer scent on me and take a midnight stroll
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...could this be a sign it might be time for a marriage counselor?

DKS
 

anchor31

Ideal_Rock
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Eeep! That''s scary! Do you think maybe you could call a wildlife organization or somthing similar to have the animal relocated for your safety? It certainly seems like it''s marking your home as its territory, which is cause for concern when it comes to large predators.
 

sumbride

Ideal_Rock
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Yikes!!! I would definitely give a call to the Dept. of Natural Resources in your area, but if you live near the cat''s natural habitat, they may not do anything. I have a friend with a den of foxes in her backyard and she was told they had more right to the land than she did... but I think a cougar is more dangerous than a fox! Maybe get the news involved if the DNR won''t help.
 

Dee*Jay

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Holy cow doorknob, that's a little too close for comfort for such a big cat! I agree with anchor that maybe he can be relocated to a better spot. BTW, don't be too confident that the dogs are safe out in the daylight hours either. My mom lives in Idaho in THE LAST house before the Boise National Forest officially starts and there are plenty of pets in her area that go out for a quick noontime pee and never come back. Definitely not trying to scare you, but I think better safe than sorry in this case...
 

KimberlyH

Ideal_Rock
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Wow! Where do you live doorknob? Your hubby''s joke cracked me up...it''s something mine would say to me.
 

poptart

Brilliant_Rock
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Yes, you can contact your local Nature Center or Wildlife Response team in your area and they might be able to relocate the cat. Glad you figured out what it was, and just be careful with yourself and your pets. If you don''t bother the cat though, it probably won''t bother you. I know you already know this, but don''t leave food out. If you are in it''s natural habitat, like sumbride said, they might not be able to move it.

*M*
 

Kaleigh

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Oh DKS how scary. But your hubby''s comment about the cookie and deer secent had me howling. Guess you better call animal control. Where do you live?? Are you in CA??
 

door knob solitaire

Ideal_Rock
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Thanks all for your words of concern.

And DeeJay...I shall head your warning. I thought my children were safe until dusk. With your stern advice we will make all time leash time...or at the very least supervised. Sumbride you may have a good point. Anchor and POPTART...read the rest of this and see if you still think I should call.

The twilight part...do do do do do do.....the part that most will say NO WAY. Had our well serviced this weekend by an old timer. When asked about all these occurances...you''ve got yourself a Cougar. He added this: he lives in the boonies and his neighbor of 30+ years shot a cougar on his OWN property. He put the cougar in his freezer and within a week the Wildlife Conservation people were at his door with an arrest warrant. His defense attorney was puzzled how the authorities learned he had the cougar...and the attorney was told they inserted a GPS tracking system into the Cougars that they hand raised and trained to eat only Deer meat in hopes of quellling the deer population. He also said if asked they will deny it as the Cougar population is now out of control and encroaching into populated areas. They don''t want to take the heat on the outcome. Out come??????

We do have deer in our area...there was a family of at least 6, we have enjoyed them for about a year...last time they visited...there were only 3. We are not in the boonies...close to a river...but are surrounded by asphalt jungle.

I think the toxic substance that eats the asphalt is the disgestive stomach acid in the killed prey. I bet that is the first part they eat (you know the soft belly). I don''t have any other explanation for it.

Oh, glad you all thought Mr DKS suggestions were funny, he was disappointed this morning to find I had not taken his advice. Arghh! Instead of good morning dear...it was "Oh drats...you still here?" (Kimberly, glad to hear you got one just like mine
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...they are characters!)

DKS

Kaleigh and KimberlyH I am not in CA...a central southern state...but in the CITY!!!
 

poptart

Brilliant_Rock
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Date: 4/16/2007 12:49:23 AM
Author: door knob solitaire
Thanks all for your words of concern.


And DeeJay...I shall head your warning. I thought my children were safe until dusk. With your stern advice we will make all time leash time...or at the very least supervised. Sumbride you may have a good point. Anchor and POPTART...read the rest of this and see if you still think I should call.


The twilight part...do do do do do do.....the part that most will say NO WAY. Had our well serviced this weekend by an old timer. When asked about all these occurances...you''ve got yourself a Cougar. He added this: he lives in the boonies and his neighbor of 30+ years shot a cougar on his OWN property. He put the cougar in his freezer and within a week the Wildlife Conservation people were at his door with an arrest warrant. His defense attorney was puzzled how the authorities learned he had the cougar...and the attorney was told they inserted a GPS tracking system into the Cougars that they hand raised and trained to eat only Deer meat in hopes of quellling the deer population. He also said if asked they will deny it as the Cougar population is now out of control and encroaching into populated areas. They don''t want to take the heat on the outcome. Out come??????


We do have deer in our area...there was a family of at least 6, we have enjoyed them for about a year...last time they visited...there were only 3. We are not in the boonies...close to a river...but are surrounded by asphalt jungle.


I think the toxic substance that eats the asphalt is the disgestive stomach acid in the killed prey. I bet that is the first part they eat (you know the soft belly). I don''t have any other explanation for it.


Oh, glad you all thought Mr DKS suggestions were funny, he was disappointed this morning to find I had not taken his advice. Arghh! Instead of good morning dear...it was ''Oh drats...you still here?'' (Kimberly, glad to hear you got one just like mine
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...they are characters!)


DKS


Kaleigh and KimberlyH I am not in CA...a central southern state...but in the CITY!!!
What the...
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A GPS tracking system in the cougars I can understand. They often do that with wild animals now to monitor population. But hand fed and trained to eat only deer???? What the?? Twilight Zone for sure. I would still call a wildlife or animal service if they are too close for comfort. And maybe stay away from that old timer... I think there might be something in HIS well water, lol. Do you think that could possibly be true? It sounds like a cougar conspiracy theory to me, haha.

*M*
 

diamondfan

Super_Ideal_Rock
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DKS, roaming coyotes came down into Beverly Hills looking for food and water and ate my cat as he slept on our lawn in the middle of a residential neighborhood. PLEASE be careful, I know mountain lions attack, but not sure about what a cougar might do. Definitely call your local animal control, this is dangerous.

Your hubby is a card, but tell him not to quit his day job
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!!
 

JCJD

Brilliant_Rock
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Cool!! Sorry, biology geek here...

Cougars = mountain lions = pumas = panthers.

Unless there is a documented threat to your safety directly due to this animal''s presence and the wildlife department won''t help, I''m not sure what contacting the media would actually accomplish. Cougars typically won''t bother people unless provoked (they''re eating or they have babies and you come up on them quickly), so normally behaving cougars shouldn''t be much of a safety concern. If one demonstrates a propensity to attack humans "unprovoked", then you have a real problem.

The wildlife center may be able to help you with repellent techniques as well, even if they can''t relocate it. Do you have outdoor flood lights on your house? That might help deter the cougar from hanging out around your house at night. They have quite large home ranges (30 square miles minimum), so it''s not like your yard is the only place it''ll be able to hang out.

Please, just don''t resort to extreme methods like kill traps or poisons. Much much more often than not, they do not work at catching the animal you want them to and are just plain dangerous for neighborhood pets, "harmless" animals (beavers, rabbits, deer), and curious children.
 

JCJD

Brilliant_Rock
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More thoughts.

Is your yard open or is it full of trees and other foliage? in other words, can you see every area of your yard, including the tops of most trees, or are there lots of places for the cougar to hide? If open, don't worry too much about your dogs when you're home during the day. Also, all predators like easy prey (except maybe African wild dogs, but that's a different story and not a problem for you), so if your dogs will fight, they probably won't be devoured.

OK, dumb thought there. Just re-read the OP...
 

FireGoddess

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Jan 25, 2005
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12,145
Yikes - I''d definitely call a govt professional to try and trap/relocate it...though they may not attack unprovoked, you never know if they might *think* you are coming after them by being in your yard at night! And I wouldn''t want to be scared to be on my own property at night!!!
 

Miranda

Ideal_Rock
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Feb 18, 2006
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Ahhhhhhhh!!!!! Your post gives me the chillllllls. We live in coastal SO CA, which is not an unpopulated area (ha ha), and have had deer running in the reserve just behind our backyard. Much like Diamond Fan''s story, we had two cats eaten by coyotes in our front yard. DH was taking some boxes out, left the door open for a few seconds, and out went the cats...The story gets worse, but, I won''t go into it. A coyote even attacked a teacher at a local school. Eeeeek...I could go on and on with the ''wildlife stories'' - Cougar footprints in the dirt, etc. My point here is to be careful and call the appropriate agency to at least make them aware of what you are seeing. Um, and, don''t take your sweet hubby''s advice...Mine would probably give me the same suggestion, but, then who would cook his dinner...
 
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