The title summarises in three short sentences the story of this cougar and, frankly it is a sad story and a sad indictment of the failure of humans to protect wildlife. As human population numbers grow rapidly there is only one trend: it’ll get worse.
This particular cougar (aka puma) was used to sunning herself on a sundeck in a Ruskin trailer park, USA. She made it a habit and it cost her her life because once a large wild cat gets used to being around people, the authorities decide that the cat is a danger to the residents.
Of course the people are much more of a danger to the cat! The cat’s death at the hands of people is proof of that.
Conservationists went to the trailer park that the cat had made her resting spot and tranquillised her. They took her away and euthanised her.
They say relocation does not work because the cat comes back. This is because the cat’s home range included the trailer park. Perhaps the trailer park should have been relocated?! I suggest this because the family of this cat was probably at this location before the trailer park. Or she was forced to choose the spot because of human settlement expansion elsewhere.
The cat was 15-months-of-age. Her life was ahead of her. At first she lounged on the deck of Kevyn Helmer’s deck late last year. Last Monday another resident at the park found her sleeping in his yard.
It’s speculated that she was feeding on cat food. It’s almost a replication of the original domestication of the wild cat 10,000 years ago. This cougar was becoming semi-domesticated, almost a community cat. The only problem is that she was big and considered dangerous.
Female cougars aren’t that big though (about the weight of a ten year old boy) and they are shy and can be scared off. Wasn’t there a better more humane way of dealing with this? It’s just so sad. She was innocent, harming no one.
Source: mapleridgenews.com.
I’ve been saying the same thing for a long time. Glad I’m finally in good, well-respected company.
I agree with you whole-heartedly Mary and don’t mind your anger and expletives. It’s warranted, and I’m refraining from censoring myself too, as you see by my use of calling “Jesus Christ”, though I never understood why that usage was profane. It’s just an expression of anger, asking a dead man to pay attention.
You’re so right Michael, and I’m sure that with a little education and patience, people and cat would have coexisted fine. Ultimately that cat was about as dangerous as a stray dog. Leave it alone or tell it to “shoo” if you think it’s taking up too much space on your deck. Killing it for taking a nap? Jesus Christ people make me sick.
David is a smart and kind human. I have many of his videos that he’s narrated. All of animals of course. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who thinks this. Thanks Michael.
Thanks Mary. I feel the same way! And even David Attenborough the world’s current greatest zoologist says that humans are a disease on the planet in respect of the damage they inflict on the planet and its wildlife.
And this here is the root of the problem. HUMANS!! Humans take, and take all the animals space and wonder why they come into their (the animals) space that was taken from them??!! Well, what the fuck do you think they are going to do? Humans are in their space! Humans need to stop multiplying like damn rabbits!! Its always the animals that suffer!! I’m so fucking sick of our species! We do not need more spawn in this world! The humans need to be culled big time!! The animals sure as fuck will not miss us and the earth would be much happier! I’m so tired of seeing how the animals suffer from humans greed and ignorance! This species is on the brink as it is!!