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3800 Merle Hay Road

Des Moines, IA 50310

It is unfortunate to dispatch any wild animal found within city limits however, when you have a species that is not in its natural habitat, becomes defensive and a possible threat to public safety is emanate then euthanasia is the best option.

There was really only two options for this situation euthanasia or chemical immobilization. If the cougar was confined in the greenhouse and or manageable by being up in a tree then chemical immobilization would have been an option. Two members of our staff have received certificates from Safe Capture International an organization that teaches the proper methods of chemical immobilization of wildlife for wildlife management organizations. The organization recently held a class at ISU where staff from Pella Wildlife Company and the Iowa DNR attended. Staff from Pella Wildlife Company have also attended a class on cougar management in Minnesota presented by cougar researcher John Lundre, cougar tracker Jay Tischendorf and the vet team at the Minnesota Zoo. Students from the Wisconsin DNR, Pella Wildlife Company and other wildlife management organizations went through scenarios much like the one that happened in Des Moines and were instructed on methods of managing the situation always looking for ways to safely return the cougar to the wild and maintaining public safety. Based on the the instruction we received and information about the incident that has been made available, the way the Des Moines police department handled the situation was appropriate.

John Landre has just published the book Phantoms of the Prairie: The Return of Cougars to the Midwest and in it identifies the areas cougars could reestablish themselves. In Iowa he states “Today, the Des Moines River still has extensive forest growth towards the middle of the state but any passage to this area is blocked by the city of Des Moines.” John is an adivisor to Pella Wildlife Company on cougar management issues.

For further information you can contact;

Ron DeArmond
CEO
Pella Wildlife Company
www.pellawildlifecompany.org
515-979-9584

Thank you for sharing our experiences with us through the Wildlife Insider. I wonder what tomorrow will bring…?

RE: Original News Story: http://www.woi-tv.com/story/19015849/mountain-lion-allegedly-spotted-for-a-third-time-in-des-moines

Last week Mia, an elementary school student, came in for her training lesson with the baby bears. She had her first lesson on safety and was dressed properly and followed safety precautions with the bears. What I didn’t expect was how much the bears would enjoy her company. They love the energy of children. T.D. and Kiowa ran around, sniffed Mia and enjoyed sitting so she could give them grapes.

They thought it was wonderful when Mia ran around and laughed as if she had invented a new and wonderful game. The session went very well under the supervision of their main trainer they were allowed to sniff Mia, walk with her, take grapes and follow her commands. They were so well behaved it was a great session! I can’t wait to see what the next training session is like and continue to watch the progress of our trainees as they learn more and more about the Wildlife Ambassadors and their enrichment and training.

Today Kiowa and T.D. had some new experiences! They discovered that one of the logs in the training room was being occupied by some ash borers. We had no idea ourselves but these little tykes have such a sharp sense of smell and hearing that they knew there was something interesting inside those logs. We sat and watched them claw at the logs and strip them clean of bark, wondering why, until we saw a delicious looking worm-like creature in Kiowa’s mouth!

This, of course, excited the bears even more. The prospect of more yummy treats just intensified the digging and clawing at the logs. Neither was very happy when we decided they needed a break from the logs so we could make sure to contain the infestation. Later in the afternoon, during their second enrichment session they received another new treat! Their trainer had eaten a walnut, almond and dried cranberry mix for lunch and had some in her pocket! However, since this was a new food item Kiowa and T.D. had to use their “new food” test on the nuts.

First, they smelled them to determine if this was something that might be good to go into their mouth. Once they decided that they SMELLED good then they put one in their mouth and spit it out again. They did this twice. Once they made sure the item TASTED good then the proceeded to eat them. It is interesting to watch them go through this process with new foods. It is just how little bears in the wild learn to eat too!

Thank you for sharing our experiences with us through the Wildlife Insider. I wonder what tomorrow will bring…?

We would also like to know if the sitings are of just one bear or more than one. After speaking to our local contact for about an hour about most current sightings, most likely habitat near-by, and bear habits, we determined a small area of land that we would trek and look for signs. Every step of the way bullfrogs jumped into the algae-covered waterway we followed. In the hot 95 degree weather the creek looked like a very inviting place for a bear. However, today’s trek did not bring any signs so we headed back to the Red Rock Wildlife Education Center to enjoy our own small bears – Kiowa and Little Bear.

Thank you for sharing our experiences with us through the Wildlife Insider. I wonder what tomorrow will bring…?

Farmer Shelly Cox and her husband rely on the mainstays of Midwest agriculture: John Deere tractor, genetically modified seeds and rich soil.  

They also get extra help from what you might call nature’s pest control crew – migrating bats.

“They’re huge at insect control,” Cox said while walking toward a small wetland where bats cluster during the summer months.“How much money do you want to spend on pesticides? Or do you want to be saving money and using what Mother Nature gives us?”

Cox credits the bats that visit her family’s 86-acre farm outside Savannah, Mo. as a big reason why they’ve only used pesticides twice in the last 15 years.

But that could change soon.

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To continue reading this article, visit http://harvestpublicmedia.org/article/718/holy-battered-bats-double-menace-threatens-farmers-helpers/5

Original Article:  Harvest Public Media – August 18th, 2011