Thank you for your kind and empathetic responses to the last bobcat post. So many kind thoughts, so many dear people all aching right along with me. Maybe Murr Brewster (unsurprisingly) said it best: "Takes a big heart to be a wildlife rehabilitator. And we all know what happens to big hearts."
Heartbreak aside, I am convinced that here in Ohio at least we are in the midst of a bobcat renaissance such as has never been seen. I remember when I worked for The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut climbing a rock ledge to look at a bobcat den area. It was like being allowed to open the case and handle a Faberge egg. And now here I am in Ohio, 22 years later, and I see bobcat sign often enough that I've added it to the Frequently Encountered list in my mind's encyclopedia. I'm starting to lose track of the animals I've seen. Let's see...the last one I saw was December 15, 2014, a small one feeding at a deer carcass, making seven for Ohio, if you count the trailcam female in the driveway in July 2014 as "seen." I've even seen a black one, a stump-tailed summer wonder racing across my very own road in front of my bike (#6, July 2014, just before Corey got the trailcam shot in our driveway).
Can a hunting season be far behind? Of course not. We'll deal with that when it comes up. I may sound cynical, but I'm sure that somewhere in the halls of ODNR, the proposal's already being cooked. Take it off the state threatened list, and it's time to hunt it. The idea of a person going out to hunt bobcat actually makes me laugh. You're going to have to be vewwy, vewwy smart, vewwy, vewwy quiet, and vewwy, vewwy wucky. Then you can hope you get a vewwy bwief gwimpse. Not so sure about getting a shot. Good wuck with that, Mr. Fudd.
Enough of that. I would now like to show you The Melting Dog. This is Chet Baker's newest "trick." It took Phoebe years to teach him this difficult maneuver. Gravity is its main component. Turn your sound up, so you don't miss the oink of contentment as he lands gently on the tarmac of love.
Yes, Chet Baker fixes us when we're hurting, he of the sweet heavy weight and the popcorn paws.
His gentle touch: so healing.
10 comments:
...and that's a VERY difficult trick for a hyper dog to nail.
Nice!
So sweet!
Loved the melting dog.
A few years ago, when I first spotted a bobcat in Iowa, I called the DNR with my exciting news. At that time I didn't even know anyone else who had ever seen a wild bobcat in the state.
The nice man asked me where I saw it, and I started to reply. But something made me stop and ask what the information would be used for.
Nice man said the DNR was gathering data to determine whether there were enough bobcats in Iowa to open a hunting season on them. I said well, er, I don't want to contribute to that, and the nice man said something to the effect that he didn't blame me. He said, "You're one of the few people who have ever seen an untagged bobcat in Iowa." It seems they had a few cats with radio collars on, so they could track their wanderings, but you didn't just happen on any others, not very often.
However, if I'd told where my sighting was, the nice man would have added it into the database. It was his job.
I guess they got enough data, though, because folks can shoot bobcats in Iowa now, Nov. 1 to Jan 31, any time of the day or night, starting at 8 A.M. on opening day.
Someone will have to explain to me why it is in the interest of a state to shoot animals that are so uncommon that most people have never seen one, though many would be thrilled to get the merest glimpse.
Amazeballs!!!
I have no tolerance for killing animals unless it's to feed one's family or for a very good reason-such as overpopulation to the point that the animals are suffering or starving or specifically known to be harming humans. People make me so mad! But I must say that Chet Baker really makes me smile.
The Chet Baker melting video is wonderful!
They don't "hunt" bobcat .. They TRAP them, for profit. The pelts are worth $$$$$. You can bet the trappers lobby will push for it.
Heh, my girl does that, when I'm sitting on the couch and she's sitting in my lap, but she's 65 lbs, so there's a lot more of her to melt into me. She's very cuddly. Very large and cuddly.
Thank You I am.
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