A weekly walkthrough of what has been going on and a look at what is coming up!

"That to me, is heaven, being out in nature, taking pictures of the wildlife."― B.B. King

Southern California Mountain Lion Project Update

Springtime and Mountain Lions

Although mountain lions mate and give birth at any time of the year, scientists have found that there are birth pulses in the spring with this species. As more females give birth during this time, there are some specific changes I would expect to see within the observation sites. One of these changes would be a higher level of activity to provide support and protection for their young. Because there are potentially more mothers with dependent young during this time it is extremely important to follow proper safety recommendations for recreating in mountain lion habitat.

For data collected in the field, I tremendously hope to capture footage of cubs with their mother. This would determine which locations are providing the necessary elements for a mother to setup natal ranges for their young, if any that are currently being observed. This can help too with public education of areas that can potentially offer higher risk of adverse mountain lion encounters. This would allow people going out, or living in mountain lion habitat to be prepared with current information of any mountain lions, their sex/age class, and potential threats they pose within their immediate residence/recreation locale.

Depredation Prevention in Predator Country 

For any livestock owner/operation that has to share the area with predators should be well aware of the risk posed to loss of livestock. However, this doesn't make their loss any less cumbersome to their livelihood. Because of this, it is absolutely necessary to maintain your property and areas of livestock use with the goal of not only deterring predators, but habituating them to stay away from livestock and humans to lower risk of conflicts.

A friend of mine reached out this past week about a gentleman that had unfortunately lost several of his sheep to predation by wildlife. I was able to get in contact with the livestock owner and obtain some images and details of what had happened. In a situation like this it is very important not to rule out any species until a proper analysis of the area and carcasses can be completed and the options of the culprit can be weighed. The site inspector must consider the various predators in the area that would have capability to kill several full grown sheep. Here in this part of Southern California the two most likely culprits are mountain lions or coyotes. This is where the animals' individual biological factors come into play. Because I wasn't able to inspect the site in person, take photos, and look at the carcasses in detail, I lack a fully developed picture of events and clues that could lead to an absolute determination of which species is responsible. However, from the images and few details I did get, there are signs that favor coyotes as being the culprit. One of the largest clues that I found to support this was where the majority of feeding seemed to take place on the body of the sheep. As pictured below you can see that the area of the anus and stomach were the target of most of the feeding. This is behavior associated with coyotes and known by researchers to be avoided by mountain lions. Mountain lions are obligate carnivores, meaning they can't supplement their diets with nutrients from fruits, vegetables or anything else that isn't meat. This is cause for them to not only avoid all digestive organs and body parts of their prey, but they are also documented burying the rumen away from their cache sites. Coyotes on the other hand are the type of carnivore that regularly supplements their diet with fruits, nuts and other vegetation. Because of this, coyotes will typically eat the internal and digestive organs of their prey.

Images of preyed on sheep (WARNING: Graphic Content)

Other factors are the "surplus killing" of the sheep. Surplus killing is when and individual or pack of animals kill more prey than they will consume. This is almost exclusive to depredation of livestock due to their natural wariness and evolutionary threat responses being bred out of them. As a predator gains access to livestock and they do not react the way their wild prey would (i.e. flee after a member of the herd/flock were killed) the predator may have various evolutionary and involuntary reactions to this. Some studies state that a mountain lion, primarily hunting by sense of movement and contrast, that becomes trapped within an enclosed area with no possible or apparent escape they may respond by killing all of the movement (potential threats) around them. Other studies suggest that there could also be an element of involuntary evolutionary predatory response to kill the available sheep/cattle that are not fleeing. Both are possible outcomes for a mountain lion that may come across an easy opportunity. Coyotes are also known to kill in surplus when hunting sheep and only feeding on one. As pictured above, several were killed, but only 1-2 were partially fed on.

Being able to inspect the scene immediately after discovery of the deceased livestock and before the owner of the flock or other parties move the carcasses allows for you to look for details in how the predator left the body. Mountain lions are notorious for caching their prey, and in a situation where they couldn't remove the animal they were feeding on from the pen, they would try to partially cover the carcass with any natural debris it had access to. Finding signs of caching would be a likely product of a mountain lion killing the sheep, however, I cannot be certain if there were any possible signs before I talk to the property owner (sometime this week).

I have briefly talked to the livestock owner and scheduled a time to speak in further detail about the specifics of the event. By doing this, I hope to fill some of the gaps in knowledge to better understand what happened and what animal(s) are responsible. Moving forward with this will hopefully mean getting getting out to the property for an exploratory visit and some observation sites setup on the setup to get a much better understanding of the area, it's inhabitants, and the processes between them all.

In the News Now

Wyoming Man May Only Owe $250 for Capture, Torture, and Killing of a Nine Month Old Gray Wolf

Wyoming has fallen under attack from the public, yet again, for their loose and reckless wildlife regulations. Such regulations that are about to let a man walk away with nothing more than a $250 fine for the capture, torture, torment, and killing of a yearling gray wolf.

In 1995 the federal government finally had to do something about the Yellowstone National Park crisis. After all the gray wolves were extirpated by means of government funded lethal removal, an ecological disaster followed. Without wolves, the elk's top predator there, elk were able to reproduce to dangerous population sizes. Removing wolves ignited a trophic cascade that left landscapes decimated and scars still visible today. However, in 2012 when the federal government handed over the regulation of wolf populations to the state of Wyoming's politicians and wildlife regulatory agencies, they decided that the science wasn't worth the fun they had killing wolves. Yellowstone remained a sanctuary where no wolf was to be killed. Adjacent to the park were the trophy hunting areas where wolves could be taken by licensed and tag bearing individuals and the take was regulated. Then there is the rest of Wyoming. Roughly 80% of the state is classified what are known as "Predator Zones". These are areas where anyone, by any means, can kill as many animals they desire if it is classified by the state of Wyoming as a predator animal.

Gray wolves fall on this list and is where the loophole starts to work in favor of 42 year old Cody Roberts. Cody was the man who on February 29, 2024 was out on his snowmobile near Daniel, Wyoming in Sublette County and ran down and struck a nine month old gray wolf with his snow machine. The initial injuries to the wolf were so severe that Cody Roberts was able to approach the animal and apply tape around its muzzle and take the animal back to his home still alive and suffering. This isn't where Cody Roberts stopped. Dragging the wolf from his vehicle, he took the opportunity to grab a beer and pose with the wolf who was clearly in pain. Cody boasted a big smile with his beer in one hand the neck of the wolf in the other, due to its inability to hold its own head up.

For some reason, Cody Roberts felt as though the wolf hadn't suffered enough pain, fear, and humiliation, so it was off to Green River Bar where he would torment the wolf with crowds of people lunge at and grasping for an opportunity to pet a "live" wolf. Bleeding to death on the floor of the bar, the young wolf underwent constant torment from Roberts. He would grab the wolf by the scruff and pull its head up and show off to other patrons by giving the wolf kisses on the snout. A video taken by one of the patrons shows Roberts going in to kiss the wolf and in a final display of defiance the wolf snarled at his tormentor, but was unable to do anything further than that.

Finally the onslaught and torture of this poor wolf would come to an end as Roberts removed the wolf from the bar and either beat, or shot the animal to death (varying reports). The torture and outright evil that took place at the hands of Cody Roberts has no place in our society. However, the Wyoming state government seems to disagree. As of now Roberts only had to pay a $250 fine which was in violation of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's Regulation prohibiting the possession or transportation of live warm-blooded wildlife. Because the wolf was in one of the countless "Predator Zones" throughout the state, there were no regulations on how the wolf had to be taken. Known as "methods of take", these are the legal ways that someone can lethally remove/hunt for specific species. For species that have been classified as predators and fall within the "predator zones", there are no protections and the most heinous methods of killing can be used. The other issue is that "predators" are excluded from the animal abuse laws in Wyoming. Wolves, and other species classified as predators are free to be killed, hit and left to die, and even tortured for the entertainment of your psychologically disturbed family and friends throughout a large majority of the state. This is what created the loophole that Cody Roberts was able to exploit with a twisted sense of enjoyment.

Thankfully, as of April 10, 2024 the Sublette County Sheriff's Office and the Sublette County Attorney's Office announced they would be investigating Cody Roberts. The obvious and overlying issue falls at the feet of Wyoming's politicians and Game and Fish Department. Without following the science and implementing changes in management techniques the state is doomed to repeat horrible mistakes of the past. There have been many modes of government used to continue the removal of wolves from Wyoming ranging from a 2021 bill passed by the statehouse calling for the removal of 90% of the current wolf population to statutes covering the management of predatory species that blatantly allow anyone or organization to pay for the killing of these animals, just as long as it goes through the government and they get a piece. All the animals they are allowed to kill, what happens to them? Well, anyone who is employed to remove predators by the Game and Fish Department must turn the carcasses over to them. The Department then sells pieces of the animal (i.e. furs, skins, skulls, claws, etc.) and the money is deposited into the state's general fund.

The false information about wolves and conflicts with humans coupled with the fear mongering that certain stakeholder groups employ have made conservation very difficult. The clear and obvious answer to ending this comes with public education based in science and proper research. The laws and classifications must be changed to better coexist and not extirpate. If money is their goal, just look at the numbers and wolves will show their value once again. The University of Montana conducted a Regional Economic Impact Analyses that estimated more than $35.5 million (confidence interval of $22.4 million to $48.6 million) was what Wyoming received from wolf tourism alone in 2021. It is important for more than just Wyoming. The decisions made by states like this affect the surrounding areas and may ultimately have impacts on a continental/global scale. Get involved and help justice be served by following the links below.

Animal Wellness Action

https://secure.everyaction.com/RvZOTzzOEk-ZlJ2nJJ5h3g2

I will be diving deeper into the laws and regulations covering wildlife in Wyoming in an upcoming blog post. This will focus on the shortcomings of the Game and Fish Department as well as the government as a whole regarding their lack of conservation foresight and recognition of the importance wolf presence has on the landscape and economy.

New Print Store Coming Soon

Providing quality products that I trust for my customers is a must, but making my work accessible is also very important to me. In the coming weeks I will be unveiling my new print store that focuses on these pillars while also offering more options and specialty orders to find the perfect piece to add to your home.

Supporting Local Art, Small Business, and Conservation all in one!

There is a lot of time, effort and expense that goes into creating images and working towards conservation goals that protect the wild places we visit. It would be an honor to have my work displayed in your home as a way to keep doing this work!

Sessions at JABCECC

Sessions at the Judith A. Bassett Canid Education and Conservation Center are able to be booked year round! Contact information for any questions on booking and pricing can be found through the "book now" link.