Posted on 03/08/2011 7:17:30 AM PST by decimon
Predators such as wolves, bears and panthers are being reintroduced close to where people live, as a growing number of scientists believe they may hold the key to restoring damaged ecosystems.
"It used to be we would see it once every year or so, but now it's every two weeks," said Al Sanchez.
"I'm starting to panic when I hear noises. If I come out here I'm concerned I'm going to be his prey."
Mr Sanchez and Reg Malone, who live in a densely populated suburbs of Naples, Florida - a city of 300 000 people - are regularly visited by a Florida panther, a sub-species of the cougar, and have been left unnerved by the close encounters.
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The return of the predator to our world is not without risk and difficulty, but Dr Smith sees predators as a crucial ally in the ongoing battle to reverse environmental decline.
"We know they compete with us. We know they occasionally kill us.
"You know we're going to have to work through that but it's worthwhile.
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(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
I had a panther living across the street. It was eating the wild hogs.
Thats what they make guns for.
We have panthers in our neck of the woods. Several family members and friends, including myself, have seen them the past few years. Not sure if they are just migrating through or live here year round. State Game & Fish Commission won’t admit it to this day that we have them in the state. I don’t go into the woods without a pistol or a rifle.
None of these encounters are especially impressive, I know, but living in the suburbs one doesn't get to see much wildlife.
Oh, and two hawks lived in my woods last year. Wheeling and diving at scooping up rodents, they were very entertaining to watch. I heard them cawing (what sound do hawks make?) this morning. I hope they're back for the season.
This is an act of terrorism!
We know they occasionally kill us - we're going to have to work through that, but it's worthwhile”Of course, this f* doesn't imagine himself being killed and eaten.Dr Doug Smith
The Gray Wolf Restoration Project
It's up to the plebes to be wolf-food.
Anyway, the plebes are out there carbon-footprinting the world. Better to kill as many of them off as possible, right Doug?
Dr. Smith is an idiot. Florida Panthers do not see humans as “Allies”. They see us as food.
"You know we're going to have to work through that but it's worthwhile.
So Dr. Smith, let's take a walk in the woods shall we?
Is open carry, on your own property in Florida legal?
"You know we're going to have to work through that but it's worthwhile
This man seems to be a little cavalier with other people's lives. But maybe it's just me.
On a practical note, If a bear attacks you, you might survive by playing dead. If you don't seem to be a threat to his (or her) territory, he might let you live.
But a cougar is on the hunt. Playing dead will just get you eaten sooner. Your best shot, if you can't get away, is to fight like hell with anything that comes to hand.
Good luck out there to all you nature lovers.
And I understand the administration is training the animals to only eat Republicans.
Yeah, for other people; there's no way in hell this ****head would tolerate panther's living within 100 miles of himself and his own family.
Feral hogs. Just a pet peeve of mine. Unless it is one of the wild boars brought here for hunting preserves that got loose the hog is a descendant of livestock brought over by early settlers, Spanish and English, so they are feral hogs. That is one reason you are allowed to hunt them on most privately owned land without needing a permit from FWC.
I got to see a Florida Panther in the wild some years back. The cats are very territorial and they need a fairly large predatator to prey ratio so that and loss of habitat is impacting them.
Depends on if you are in a dry county. Oh you meant guns.
LOL,yes guns, LOL.
You would have ask some one that knows Fl. law. opencarry.org would be a good place to start.
It legal in Wis. We have lots of wolves, bears, coyotes and and a few mt lions around where I live. I a;ways have a gun handy.
Black bear attacks at almost always predatory they want to eat you. fight back with every thing you have.
Just do a google search on bear attacks lots of good info on them.
Could be. I’m just reporting what I read in “Outdoor Life”, or “Field & Stream”, or some such magazine.
Still, running isn’t likely to do much good in any event.
I’ll repeat something I read long ago about grizzly bears. I think it was George Herter who said it. The quote isn’t exact, but the essence is this, “There are people who will tell you that if you don’t bother the bear, he won’t bother you. But what these people are forgetting is that it is the bear who decides if you are bothering him or not. Sometimes, just being within a mile of him bother him”.
Still, I wouldn’t mind getting a glimpse of the mythical Alabama panther that we keep hearing doesn’t exist.
Feral or wild, there is no practical difference within the context of my post.
If you want to get technical the Florida panther isn’t really a panther.
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