Predators.

[desertranger]

Over in the coffee break we are talking about where we live and work. It seems that a fair amount of us work in wilderness areas and national park lands. Others on farms and a few in the city.

 

 

The predators here in the desert and mountains are coyotes, bobcat, mt. lion and bear. All are a danger to our pets since we have been in a drought for years and they come out of the wash into our yards looking for water. There are also rattlesnakes, scorpions and black widows which while not really predators are a hazard. All dogs have to be snake trained.

 

There are also predatory birds, the great horned and barn owls, red tail and sharp shinnd hawks and the golden eagles that pose a problem as well. Especially for people who have dogs the size of rats on a string and the local cat population. There are no feral cats and few wild dogs here since the predators eat them. All of these critters are protected. No Hunting.

 

Raccoons have become a problem as well over the last 10-15 years or so. They're about as native to the desert as the wild parrots are.

 

How fair you all with predators and are they a problem?

[Cody & Duchess]

Here in Florida we have gators, snakes and armadillos. Of course sharks at the beach. We keep the dogs out of all the lakes, watch for snakes. Duchess chases the armadillos and Cody gives them a wide berth. We also have a place in Northern New Mexico - in the Sangre De Cristo mountains. Once there we had a small incident. I saw the headlines flashing in my head " Stupid Florida tourist impaled as their dog chased a buck straight at them". Thankfully the buck turned. We have elk, bear, coyote, deer, rabbit, etc out there. Always worried during rutting season. Dogs only go out at night on leash. Duchess - the 35 pnd BC/springer - treed a bear - thank goodness she came when we blew the whistle. Still debating about bear spray. Love the outdoors - but watch for wildlife like a hawk when walking the dogs. Hope to spot them first. Also, duchess prances with her nose in the air when something up - usually gives us a heads up. My ignorance of the risk from the wildlife probably puts me in some dumb situations - but I really love running trails also and Cody is my running buddy. He won't chase most wildlife - unless it is the size of a rabbit or smaller.

 

Also -- love, love , love the pictures of your dog. He/she is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Anda]

We have a growing and allarming coyote problem in Denver and the surrounding cities - I live in Greenwood Village, right in the Denver Tech Center - lots of business and residential areas too. A few miles from us there's Cherry Creek Reservoir, full of wild life. Which, lately, it's being pushed out of its natural habitat and becoming more and more acustomed to people. I love seeing Blue Herrons, Night Crown Herrons, muskrats and so on around our apartment complex. The first time I saw a deer and a baby two blocks away from where I live I thought I was halucinating. Same reaction when I saw coyotes causally trotting right under our balcony and off the alley into the field where Ouzo and I play every day.

 

Cats have been snatched from porches. One last summer, from a building in the same complex I live in.

 

The latest incident - about 3 weeks ago. Chris took Ouzo out late at night and scared a couple of coyotes from 20 feet in front of our apartment door, and immediately after, Ouzo discovered an orange cat carcass laying on the grass - apparently they had disturbed the coyotes from their dinner. It's scarry when it happens so close to home. I found the cleaned and dried out cat jaw bone just last week on the field we're playing on. And the coyotes are not actually afraid of humans, Chris pretended to grab an imaginary rock and throw it at them, all they did was duck then stare at him "What the heck are you doing? Can't you see we were eating?!".

 

Last Thursday night I woke up around midnight with Ouzo in the bed growling towards the window, and two coyotes bark-howling outside, I actually got to see them before they disapeared behind some trees.

 

And I do not live out in the woods

 

There've been quite a few cases this winter where they atacked dogs in the Denver area - and last week they showed on TV how a woman walking her 70lb lab in front of her house, in a subdivision, got attacked by 3 coyotes. The dog got bitten on its back, and she had some scratches and bites from fighting them off. They have warnings at the dog parks about sharing the space with the coyotes..

 

They hired a professional hunter to try to reduce the coyote population in Greenwood Village, maybe that will do something. And they're warning people to try to scare coyotes away, pretend to throw things at them or actually throw, so that they'd learn that humans cannot be trusted.

 

On a lighter note one woman was playing frisbee with her dog, then she saw what she thought was a "stray dog" and tried to catch it. Umm... it was a coyote and he bit her

[Journey]

I left the alligators of Florida just to trade for Coyote and Cougars..now I don't have to keep the dogs out of the water but I do have to think about looking "up" for cougars so they tell me. We haven't seen any and I hope it stays that way, thankyouverymuch! Word has it the latest siting was a county over from me.

 

The coyotes are a problem. One night the dogs were carrying on and having fits. The coyote carcass was found in the woods about 150 yards from my back door. Someone must have hit it on the road.

 

Deer a plenty. The first one I saw up here I swear was Bambi's mother on steroids! Shees, a doe that was huge. They can be seen in all fields at any time. Hopefully they will go their merry way when the fence is up and the sheep and dogs occupy the pasture on a regular basis.

 

Snakes, well I can't get away from them no matter, at least here to the best of my knowledge, people are not turning Boa's and Pythons loose

[juliepoudrier]

Actual predators that cause problems include coyotes (which my maremma deters), foxes, and hawks. When I lived in the eastern part of the state I used to see black bears in the areas near the Dismal Swamp. I don't worry about my cats or dogs because if they are not with me they are in a securely fenced yard. As I said the sheep are protected by the LGD. My chickens (OEG, RIR, and Dominiques) don't fare as well on the predator front. I lose OEG bantams routinely to Cooper's Hawks, and have lost one Dominique pullet. I see plenty of red tails, but they never bother my chickens, nor do the marsh hawks I see on occasion. I haven't lost poultry if they are out in the pasture with the LGD, but in the yard they seem to be fair game for the Cooper's hawks.

 

Snakes I don't much worry about. The main poisonous snake we have around here is the copperhead, and generally their bite won't kill (at least it hasn't killed any animals I know of). I'm not sure if timber rattlers are a problem around here, though I imagine they are a concern in the more mountainous parts of the state.

 

For the day-to-day around the farm stuff, the biggest concern is the black widow. The are *everywhere.* You have to be careful dumping stock tanks, picking up wood or other objects, handling hay, etc. Brown recluse spiders can also be found here, but I've only ever encounterd one (by suspicion only--no actual sighting). This was after I moved a bunch of furniture into a storage room in my house after it had been stored in a barn for some months. One of my dogs ended up with a horrible necrotic lesion on his leg, and the diagnosis was brown recluse bite. Before putting on clothes that have been hanging in a closet, sitting in a drawer, or packed away for a long time undisturbed I habitually turn them inside out to check for spiders--a habit that's a product of my childhood.

 

Other generally more nuisance type critters that can do some serious damage to smaller animals include fire ants, yellow jackets, and Japanese hornets, among other stinging insects.

 

J.

[haleigh]

We used to live on 7 acres of woods in the middle of the suburbs, and a couple of coyotes shared our little land. I brought our malinois Mo to visit Knox (also a mal) one day, and my mom and I stepped out to walk to the store. While walking up the driveway, we saw two reddish brown dogs running through the forest. Of course, we started running after them screaming. My sister calls out and asks what we were doing- of course, we were chasing coyote.

 

At my dads house, we only have the dreaded combine

[Ooky]

Only raccoons and skunks I try to keep Odin away from at our house, as I live in a very urban area. But there are lots of coyotes at the in-laws' farm. The first time I took Odin camping a black bear came into our camp and DH chased it off while I held scared little puppy. For a while I think he thought the DH and I could do anything after that Hiking, we have seen a bobcat which seemed to remind Odin of a 30-lb Benway. He was very still and bug-eyed, then wanted to leave when the cat watched him back!

 

While I live in the city I do work in the backcountry sometimes, like in2adventure. Hoping to get to take Odin soon, I'm just looking for the right beginning field work situation. Actually, I'll be in desertranger's general neck of the woods for most of March, but can't take Odin. Yet while there I do hope to see as many predators (at least native ones) as possible.

 

And Anda, I agree the droughts and expansion are terrible in Colorado for pushing the wildlife into urban areas! I grew up in Colorado Springs, so less urban than Denver, but my parents have had black bears in their very suburban yard several times in the past decade. In a weird way, I kind of miss it here - not bears in yards but the abundance of large and visible mammals. Those are just pretty scarce in the bay area.

[Little Bo Boop]

Actual predators that cause problems include coyotes (which my maremma deters), foxes, and hawks. When I lived in the eastern part of the state I used to see black bears in the areas near the Dismal Swamp. I don't worry about my cats or dogs because if they are not with me they are in a securely fenced yard. As I said the sheep are protected by the LGD. My chickens (OEG, RIR, and Dominiques) don't fare as well on the predator front. I lose OEG bantams routinely to Cooper's Hawks, and have lost one Dominique pullet. I see plenty of red tails, but they never bother my chickens, nor do the marsh hawks I see on occasion. I haven't lost poultry if they are out in the pasture with the LGD, but in the yard they seem to be fair game for the Cooper's hawks.

 

Snakes I don't much worry about. The main poisonous snake we have around here is the copperhead, and generally their bite won't kill (at least it hasn't killed any animals I know of). I'm not sure if timber rattlers are a problem around here, though I imagine they are a concern in the more mountainous parts of the state.

 

For the day-to-day around the farm stuff, the biggest concern is the black widow. The are *everywhere.* You have to be careful dumping stock tanks, picking up wood or other objects, handling hay, etc. Brown recluse spiders can also be found here, but I've only ever encounterd one (by suspicion only--no actual sighting). This was after I moved a bunch of furniture into a storage room in my house after it had been stored in a barn for some months. One of my dogs ended up with a horrible necrotic lesion on his leg, and the diagnosis was brown recluse bite. Before putting on clothes that have been hanging in a closet, sitting in a drawer, or packed away for a long time undisturbed I habitually turn them inside out to check for spiders--a habit that's a product of my childhood.

 

Other generally more nuisance type critters that can do some serious damage to smaller animals include fire ants, yellow jackets, and Japanese hornets, among other stinging insects.

 

J.

 

Dang Julie, you could be living in Texas or me in NC. Thats the exact same problems we have, from snakes to spiders. Had a copperhead bite my cat, but she's no worse for wear...and yes! we have black widows everywhere, OMG they are bad, you have to be very careful picking up anything, and I'm always scared they're going to bite one of the horses, as they seem to like the barn area. I understand the bites are very painful, and that you can only take the anti venom one time. I don't like to kill anything, and I don't have a problem with most spiders or snakes...we usually just boot scorpions outside when we find them ;-) but Black widows, they get smooshed I'm afraid.

[desertranger]

Thank you Cody and cuichess. Jin's a he and I think so too. So does his trainer and everyone else. Instant celeb status.

 

Black Widows here are the size of the end of my thumb. Every years it's a chore to wipe them out. And there's a lot more wildlife out here than you would think. 20lb rabbits, tarauntulas which are very cool, coachwhip snakes (10ft), gophers snakes (9ft) and they stink and hindreds of species of birds since we're under the western bird flyway.

 

After this mornings post I took Jin for a walk in the wash and found fresh evidence of coyotes within 100 yds of the back fence. While I've run into the local wildlife here I've never had a problem. That could change. Anyway it seems we all have a coyote problem and it's getting worse.

[powerfulgazelle]

We have a growing coyote population that has been picking off small pets----Yorkie-sized dogs let out into fenced yards, mostly. If road kill is any measure of population, I see at least one a week by the side of the road.

 

The other predator that occasionally gets a pet---great horned owls. Again, it is usually someone's Yorkie/Peke/Chihuahua/Poo.

 

Not so much a problem for the dogs, but we have rather brassy trash raccoons. Big, fat, fearless. One faced down our old dog in the driveway once as it was making a haul from our neighbor's trash can.

[desertranger]

but we have rather brassy trash raccoons. Big, fat, fearless. One faced down our old dog in the driveway once as it was making a haul from our neighbor's trash can.

 

Bear in mind that 5 of a raccons 6 ends are razor sharp, they carry rabies and can be dangerous although as a rule they are not aggressive and don't mes with the dogs. Unfortunately I find there are always exceptions to the rule. We used to have one that would come in the dog door. Took weeks to figure out what was goping on. Stayed up all night with a friends paintball gun and waited for it to come in. Bullseye, it never came back.

 

I saw a rat dog (teacup poo) taken by a horned owl once. Tiny dog yelping it's head off as it's owner went into a panic watching the owl flew away with her dog. Sorry, but I laughed my head off. She and others have been warned about letting their rats out at night.

 

I don't like rat dogs, commonly refered to as rats on a string. As a ranger I've been bitten by them more than a few times. Usually when working the entry gate and the owner is holding them in the car. Hand them an entry pass and the rats jump at you occasionally scoring a hit. Got the chief ranger once whose now afraid of dogs. For that reason no dogs allowed in the park anymore. Seems some owners have little control over them. A gal in our obedience class has one of them Her rat just doesn't want to listen despite Bonnie being an excellent trainer.

 

Aplogies to the all real rats out there.

[JohnLloydJones]

I live on the edge of suburbia, in a town that is transitioning from agriculture to dormatory. We have our share of coyotes; there's plenty of rabits and small rodents (not sure, but I think they are cotton rats). I can't say that I know of any issues with them, though we often hear (and occasionally see) them on our morning walk. There was a bit of a flutter last year when some coyotes took residence in the Research park where i work -- that's right in the middle of the city. They called the AZ wildlife dept to get them moved, but were told to warn people to keep a safe distance and let them be.

 

We also have rattlesnakes, but I've only seen one around our way; sunning itself outside a church. Out in the desert is another matter. I haven't seen any scorpions near home either, but there are plenty in the desert.

[esox]

We pretty much just have fox and hawks as predators. An occasional Bobcat. They claim that a mountain lion or two are here and some lynx. It's a fact the bear are moving out of the Adirondacks and I know there is the occasional wolf. Alex scared off a fox several months ago.

 

As far as owls taking people's pets: I don't personally like small dogs, but I don't understand the joy at someone losing a beloved pet.

 

Esox

[SoloRiver]

I don't get it either. I have Border Collies now, but my first dog was a Pomeranian and she was the best dog ever. If anything bad had happened to her, and someone nearby had laughed, I would not have been responsible for my actions. How completely reprehensible.

 

I can understand not liking little dogs, and can even live with the constant "right size for punting" jokes, but actually thinking the death of a dog is funny... I cannot wrap my brain around that.

 

We have raccoons, which I don't really consider "predators," and feral cats in the immediate vicinity. We have foxes, who remain cryptic, and reportedly have cougars and bears very nearby who occasionally wander into civilization. I don't worry about the dogs in my neighborhood, and mine are never outside for periods of time unsupervised anyway. I keep an eye out while hiking, but in general the animals make themselves scarce when we are out and I rarely see birds much less lions out there. Then again, I guess the thing about cougars is that you don't see them coming, right? My guess is that one or two people and three medium-sized dogs makes a large enough party to keep us safe from most things that might be able to harm us.

[martySQ]

We have red fox, coyotes , and red tailed hawks which I mostly worry about reegarding my ducks... However, I do think coyotes might have caused the demise of my old, nearlt blind cocker spaniel years ago. We do have snakes around, and they really aren't a problem so far as I mostly grab the black snakes by the tail after they have swallowed a duck egg and then they can't do too much. I relocate them a few miles away at the park with a nice lake. There are copperheads and rattlesnakes in the area. How does one snake proof a dog?

[martySQ]

Melanie, I don't know if your grouo size makes any difference to a cougar... they have been inclined to go after bicyclists, and have nearly won before...

I forgot, those have been sighted around here too.(Kansas)

[desertranger]

We pretty much just have fox and hawks as predators. An occasional Bobcat. They claim that a mountain lion or two are here and some lynx. It's a fact the bear are moving out of the Adirondacks and I know there is the occasional wolf. Alex scared off a fox several months ago.

 

As far as owls taking people's pets: I don't personally like small dogs, but I don't understand the joy at someone losing a beloved pet.

 

Esox

 

It's not that I got joy out of it. More like watching one of those videos where people get caught doing something that winds up in a accident. People laugh at that as well. I'm sure there is a psychological reason for why it happens. I do jhave to say that after years of warning people about predators and hearing the stories that was the first time I had ever seen it. The circumstance just happen to be those that would have made a great video. Again Sorry.

[Samwise]

Hmm, hate this sort of list, it gives you sleepless nights and makes you wonder how the dogs survive a day. The truth is that most things around here subscribe strongly to the “Live and let Live” motto – thank goodness – this is not just good for dogs, its keeps us humans alive too.

Potentially dangerous animals that move past my (all too flimsy seeming) wire fence many days include (in no particular order):

 

Leopard – possibly the biggest threat, very little will keep him from snacking on a dog if he decided he wanted one badly enough.

Lion – enough said.

Cheetah – very unlikely to break in to take a dog unless it was starving.

Caracal – a bit lynx or bobcat-like, a nasty customer to run into unexpectedly

Hyena – the spotted chap is a potential hazard, seems very unlikely the brown would go for a dog, again unless it was starving

Wild dog – (Painted wolf) formidable predators that, near a dog, I wouldn’t trust as far as I could throw.

Black-backed Jackal – little and light, not really a threat to a medium size dog, but many carry rabies

Baboon – larger canines than a lion and not afraid of dogs, bad combination

Cape Porcupine – the largest African rodent with huge pin-sharp quills - again not something you want to run into unexpectedly.

African Elephant – fortunately has no interest in dogs! (People can be another story)

Rhino – As above, the white one is usually sleepy and fairly docile, the black one is near-sighted and short tempered, another bad combination.

Hippo – as above, but very dim and very short tempered, these bad combinations are getting monotonous

Warthog – energetic little pigs with big, sharp tusks, they are equipped to defend themselves from leopard and lions. A Border collie would be a walk in the park.

Honey badger – someone else who can defend himself against lions. Small package of dynamite that needs to be kept far away from dogs.

Nile crocodile – no swimming unless a lifeguard is on duty

 

Those are the more obvious ones, but other potential threats include:

 

Brown Button Spider -everywhere – they make their webs near to light each night

Violin Spider – don’t get me started

Scorpions - all shapes all sizes, all stings

Centipedes – huge, slithery and multi-colored, not deadly but very uncomfortable

Ticks – apart from the diseases, some species (Bont ticks) leave a large necrotic lesion that heals into a large, smooth bald scar on the dog.

Puff Adder – slow, lazy and perfectly camouflaged, yes, another bad combination

Mozambique Spitting Cobra – you don’t even need to get close to this guy, he sprays out a fine mist of venom from a hiding place that can cause blindness, the dogs have to be treated for this several times a year.

Black Mamba – just in case you thought this was limited to nice, little snakes

Monitor Lizard – not a threat, but his claws and whip-like tail are not something to take lightly.

Banded Rubber Frog – almost all of the toads are toxic, but this pretty little guy is deadly if a dog is daft enough to pick it up.

 

The many species of raptor are not a serious threat to most dogs but the Martial eagle – the largest African eagles - can take small antelope. Makes me think, doesn’t it.

 

I’ve probably forgotten half the list, but right now, I’m off to check on the dogs.

 

 

[Laurae]

A fascinating list, Samwise! Thanks for sharing!

[AdmiralGonsiorowski]

The main predator here in middle Tennessee? People.

 

That's the only thing I've ever lost a dog to around here, other than illness. Coyotes are present, but far more likely to mate your dog than eat it, male or female. Spiders.. brown recluse and black widows, but not too many. Wikipedia tells me that we aren't in the range for water mocassins, but that doesn't really correlate to local stories, so I keep an eye out around creeks and rivers. Copperheads, skunks, raccoons, all present but not overwhelming.

[SoloRiver]

Sam wins!

[BC-Liz]

Sam wins!

 

Agreed! Love the picture too.

[BustopherJones]

I live in a suburban neighborhood in Connecticut, but located near a reservoir. Main predators here are coyotes, bears, fox, hawks, and owls (any of which is capable to taking a small-to-medium-sized pet). Occasionally we see a meandering Bald Eagle, but they are not a persistent danger. We also have our share of Copperheads and Timber Rattlers, but they are pretty much pacifists as long as one leaves them alone.

[KrisK]

Sam....I knew there was a good reason to live in the cold, white north! I'm quite happy to put up with the odd wolf, coyote and blackbear....no poisonous spiders, no poisonous snakes, no scorpions, no giant bugs....YEP...I'll put up with the snow for sure

[Tracer]

The cold white north has it's own set of problems. The other night I was out taking Scout to do his business before bed and a strange large white bird came across the field and dove on him. It was a giant snow owl. They usually don't get down to NY. I called Scout who didn't even care about the strange bird. He came over, I scooped him up and took him inside. Never saw the bird again. The reason I know this owl is because we have had problems before. In the winter of 05 we had one diving on our husky. The husky weighs 55lbs so it seemed odd that the owl would make the attempt, but he did and the husky was jumping after him as he flew by. He perched in a tree 50 yards away and watched the dog until I went to bring him in. Then he flew over us both and disappeared. We have lost a cat to the back field a few years back, went out one day and never was seen again. We suspect it was either fox, owl, or coyote.