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Extreme Rescue: The mountain lion caught in a trap edition
What would you do if you found a cougar caught in a trap? You should call these guys, that’s what.
Reading Time: 3 mins read
https://www.zmescience.com/other/videos/cougar-mountain-lion-trap-rescue-redone/
Edited and reviewed by Tibi Puiu
Cougars (or mountain lions) are some of the most elusive and powerful predators in North America. Despite their hunting prowess, these majestic creatures are also vulnerable to dangers posed by human activities. One of the most distressing scenarios is when a cougar becomes caught in a trap, often set for other animals. What would you do if you found a cougar caught in a trap? Don’t take on the task yourself, just call the professionals. Here’s how they handle it:
The trapped animal is in pain and furious, and no doubt a less experienced savior would have been torn to shreds despite good intentions. Cougars, also known as pumas and mountain lions are some of the biggest, heaviest, and most dangerous felines in the world. Yet with careful management, the animal can be safely released — safely both for its own sake and for the sake of its saviors.
Cougars caught in traps can suffer from severe injuries, stress, and even death if not quickly rescued. The powerful legs of a cougar can be broken or severely damaged in a leg-hold trap, while snares can cause suffocation or deep wounds. The longer the animal remains trapped, the greater the risk of permanent injury or death.
Research shows that traps are a bigger problem than you think. In one study, most studied cougars were killed by anthropogenic sources, and traps are a big part of that. Even those who managed to escape or were released from traps suffered wounds that reduced their chance of survival.
“Given anthropogenic sources of mortality accounted for 100% of recorded mortality of adult females, mortality from non-target trapping is likely additive to other sources of mortality in our study area. We recommend regulatory agencies consider the possibility of unintentional take and potential for reduced long-term survival of females where these large fields are sympatric with bobcats, and trapping of bobcats with foothold traps is a legal activity,” write the study authors, led by Alyson M. Andreasen from the University of Nevada Reno.
This is not the only spectacular mountain lion trap release. Using catch poles, Idaho Fish and Game officers released a mountain lion accidentally caught in a trap.
Another cougar trap rescue case happened in Utah. The trapper was hoping for something else in his trap. After a couple of failed attempts, he manages to get the noose over the lion’s head to control the furious animal and with great care, releases the trap and sets the animal free.
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Hunter to serve jail time for killing Richmond’s beloved ‘Hollywood buck’
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Story by Laura Vozzella
• 5d • 2 min read
Hunter to serve jail time for killing Richmond’s beloved ‘Hollywood buck’© Ben King/Ben King
RICHMOND — Two hunters pleaded guilty Thursday in the illegal killing of the “Hollywood buck,” a majestic 29-point deer that for years roamed this city’s ornate Confederate burial ground.
Jason Walters of Richmond entered guilty pleas to 20 misdemeanors in Richmond General District Court related to the illegal hunting of three deer, including the buck known in Richmond and beyond as a frequent visitor to historic Hollywood Cemetery.
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Walters was sentenced to six months in jail, with three months suspended, and ordered to pay $2,500 in fines and $11,000 in “replacement costs.” He also lost his hunting privileges for 24 years.
“I think he’s just happy to put this behind him and move forward and make sure the restitution is paid,” said Walters’s lawyer, Gregory R. Sheldon.
Alan Proffitt, also of Richmond, pleaded guilty to six misdemeanors, all related to the Hollywood buck, which was killed in December. Officials referred to him as an accomplice. Proffitt was ordered to pay $1,250 in fines and serve 30 days of house arrest. His hunting privileges were revoked for six years.
The penalties represent “one of the strongest enforcement outcomes in recent memory” for wildlife crimes, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources said in a written statement announcing the pleas.
Related video: Virginia man who killed famed Hollywood Buck sentenced to jail, loses hunting license for 100 years (WTVR Richmond, VA)
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Virginia man who killed famed Hollywood Buck sentenced to jail, loses hunting license for 100 years
“The considerable penalties included will certainly be a deterrent to future wildlife crime and should give the community a level of comfort that this type of crime is taken very seriously in the Commonwealth,” it said. “Hunting is a treasured tradition in Virginia. Unethical and criminal behavior tarnishes the reputation of the sport and gives a bad name to those that engage in it lawfully.”
The department’s law enforcement team executed 10 search warrants as it investigated the case, with assistance from Chesterfield County and Richmond police, the cemetery and Richmond’s Department of Parks and Recreation. The department said it will work with “the outdoors community” and others to “determine the best way to memorialize this incredible animal.”
Residents near the cemetery estimated that the Hollywood buck was about 8 years old. They called him Prince, guessing he was the offspring of another regal buck they’d dubbed King. Hunting with firearms is illegal in the city of Richmond and in the cemeteries where the Hollywood buck was known to roam.
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Walters posted photos of himself with the dead Hollywood buck on the Star City Whitetails Facebook page. He said he shot it in rural Prince Edward County, about 70 miles southwest of Richmond. But hunters and wildlife photographers recognized the deer’s distinctive 29-point rack.
Walters was arrested in January on charges that included trespassing, failing to check and tag a deer and littering, according to court records. The charges also related to two other bucks that authorities said Walters poached from a part of Richmond that includes neighborhoods, cemeteries and parkland.
Salvador Rizzo contributed to this report.
Animal rights group protest alligator hunting season in Sanford
ARFF to protest at Cameron Wright Park
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Animal rights group protest alligator hunting season in Sanford
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Animal rights group to protest alligator hunting season in Sanford
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SANFORD, Fla. – The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida protested what it called the state’s “cruel alligator hunt” on Sunday afternoon in Seminole County.
The group, also known as ARFF, protested a few days after the opening day of Florida’s alligator hunting season at Cameron Wight Park in Sanford.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida alligator population is estimated at around 1.3 million. The FWC started the Statewide Alligator Harvest Program in 1988 which allows Floridians and non-residents who are at least 18 years old to take up to two alligators per permit.
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Protesters said gators shouldn’t be hunted at all – saying it’s cruel and barbaric to kills these creatures against their will.
“They brutally end this alligator’s life with a gunshot to the back of their head and killing them,” ARFF Coordinator Bryan Wilson said. “Sometimes even that doesn’t kill the alligator. They may be stunned or paralyzed. They were going to have ripped off their body, fully conscious and fully aware of their suffering.”
According to the FWC, there are often more than 15,000 applicants that will apply for approximately 7,000 permits. Florida’s 2024 alligator hunting season started on Aug. 15 and runs through Nov. 1.
Kevin Brotz, a gator hunter said that hunting helps raise money for habitat conservation.
“There’s millions of dollars each year raised by hunters that goes to the conserving conservation areas. They also buy land from the state and the federal government for hunting and all to use,” Brotz said.
Florida allows people to hunt up to two gators per permit.
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Tennessee’s 2024 Free Hunting Day set for Saturday, squirrel season to open
PRESS RELEASE FROM TWRA
August 19, 2024
NASHVILLE — Tennessee residents are allowed to hunt without a license on Saturday, Aug. 24 which coincides with the opening day of squirrel season.
Free Hunting Day is an event the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency annually provides in hopes of increasing interest in hunting. Squirrel hunting is one of Tennessee’s oldest and favorite traditions. The day serves as an excellent opportunity for people to experience the enjoyment of the sport.
The TWRA encourages regular hunters to introduce friends and family members (young and old) to the outdoor sport. It is also an excellent opportunity for people who have not tried hunting in a while to be reintroduced to the sport.
In addition to opening of squirrel season, the three-day archery only for antlered deer hunt on private lands and selected wildlife management areas (WMAs) is set for Aug. 23-25. Check individual WMAs for regulations. Due to the removal of Unit CWD, guns and muzzleloaders will no longer be allowed during the August season.
On Free Hunting Day, state resident hunters are exempt from hunting licenses and WMA permit requirements. Many of the WMAs are open to hunters seeking public access on Aug. 24. Hunters are asked to check the information for specific WMAs in the 2024-25 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide. Sportsmen are required to ask for permission to hunt on private lands they do not own.
The TWRA offers a reminder that hunter education requirements are not waived for Free Hunting Day. Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1969 is required to have successfully completed a hunter education course. An apprentice license is required for those born on or after Jan. 1, 1969, if the hunter education course has not been completed.
This license exempts the hunter from the mandatory hunter education law for one year from the date of purchase but may only be purchased for up to three consecutive years during the lifetime of the hunter. Those under 10 years of age do not need a Hunter Education certificate but must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years of age who must remain in a position to take immediate control of the hunting device.
Hunters can harvest up to 10 squirrels a day from the opening day of squirrel season through March 15, 2025. Each hunting day begins a half-hour before sunrise and ends a half-hour after sunset.
For more information about hunting in Tennessee, visit TWRA’s website at http://www.tnwildlife.org or contact your nearest TWRA regional office.
