Mountain lions kill nearly 40 peacocks
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muleystalker01
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Mountain lions kill nearly 40 peacocks
Mountain Lions kill more than 30 peacocks in Piedmont
Posted: June 4, 2007 12:06 AM MDT
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Mountain lions kill nearly 40 peacocks
By Delane Cleveland
Joe Creek's backyard is a welcome haven for animals, with manmade ponds and figurines scattered across the lawn.
But some uninvited guests stripped creek of 38 of his closest friends: a flock of peacocks built up over the past 14 years.
"I had then named, you know," Creek said. "I'm heartbroken. I don't hear them, they don't warn me when somebody walks on the land now. To start over, I don't even know if I will."
The ravaged carcasses still lie where mountain lions attacked the birds early Saturday morning, making their way through the fence, killing everything in their path.
"I'm concerned because I've got neighbors with kids right next door to me," Creek said. "There's a school down below me (Stagebarn Elementary). I know there's a vote for hunting cougar."
Before that vote, there's a public hearing on the issue Thursday in Pierre, where the Game, Fish & Parks commission will decide whether to increase the mountain lion hunting limit for the upcoming season.
"The lion population in the Black Hills has expanded tremendously over the last ten years," said GF&P Wildlife Biologist Steve Griffin, who estimates the number to be between 200-225. "We will have more problems like that, so we want to bring our numbers, hold them steady, or reduce them a little bit so we'll have a healthy, manageable population that will coexist with humans."
Conservation officers killed one of the three mountain lions that caused the mess at Creek's place Sunday morning, which is standard procedure when pets are killed.
Meantime, Creek he hopes to catch the two others with traps in his yard, and prays others don't have to endure a similar loss.
"I keep my shotgun loaded now," Creek said. I" have nothing to protect anymore but myself, my wife, and my cat. But I still worry about the kids and the neighborhood kids."
Posted: June 4, 2007 12:06 AM MDT
Featured Video
Mountain lions kill nearly 40 peacocks
By Delane Cleveland
Joe Creek's backyard is a welcome haven for animals, with manmade ponds and figurines scattered across the lawn.
But some uninvited guests stripped creek of 38 of his closest friends: a flock of peacocks built up over the past 14 years.
"I had then named, you know," Creek said. "I'm heartbroken. I don't hear them, they don't warn me when somebody walks on the land now. To start over, I don't even know if I will."
The ravaged carcasses still lie where mountain lions attacked the birds early Saturday morning, making their way through the fence, killing everything in their path.
"I'm concerned because I've got neighbors with kids right next door to me," Creek said. "There's a school down below me (Stagebarn Elementary). I know there's a vote for hunting cougar."
Before that vote, there's a public hearing on the issue Thursday in Pierre, where the Game, Fish & Parks commission will decide whether to increase the mountain lion hunting limit for the upcoming season.
"The lion population in the Black Hills has expanded tremendously over the last ten years," said GF&P Wildlife Biologist Steve Griffin, who estimates the number to be between 200-225. "We will have more problems like that, so we want to bring our numbers, hold them steady, or reduce them a little bit so we'll have a healthy, manageable population that will coexist with humans."
Conservation officers killed one of the three mountain lions that caused the mess at Creek's place Sunday morning, which is standard procedure when pets are killed.
Meantime, Creek he hopes to catch the two others with traps in his yard, and prays others don't have to endure a similar loss.
"I keep my shotgun loaded now," Creek said. I" have nothing to protect anymore but myself, my wife, and my cat. But I still worry about the kids and the neighborhood kids."
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MuleyMadness
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