http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/?IssueNum=192&id=1006
DR. WALTER BOYCE
~3rd Degree~
By Annette Stark
The UC Davis wildlife expert on the mountain lion in Griffith Park, avoiding the deer, the best way to greet a big cat
In a few episodes of The Sopranos last season, a bear wandered out of the Jersey wilderness and into Tony Soprano's backyard. The show's erstwhile hero didn't name the bear or develop any rapport with it; he just sat there in his shorts with a shotgun, waiting for the elusive ursine to reappear. Fortunately, the bear was a no-show. So far, the Griffith Park mountain lion hasn't been given a proper name, either, even though the wild animal has made several high-profile appearances. Since May, the lion has been sighted on the north side of the park and in a residential Los Feliz neighborhood at the intersection of Commonwealth and Cromwell.
But here in L.A., the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife has expressed no interest in capturing and killing our lion, assures Dr. Walter Boyce, the big cat expert and UC Davis professor who runs the university's Wildlife Health Center. Last week, Griffith Park officials flew Boyce in to tour the area, evaluate the danger, calm nerves, and generally provide education and advice about how our wildlife and people can coexist in this ever-shrinking cityscape.
-Annette Stark
CityBeat: How does the mountain lion differ from other big cats?
Dr. Walter Boyce: The mountain lion, cougar, puma, catamount, panther - all those refer to the same animal - is the only large cat we have in the United States. The next size is the bobcat, which is considerably smaller. Mountain lions range from about 80 pounds for an adult female to about 150 pounds for the male. They are exquisite athletes and predators and use this athleticism to hunt by ambushing their prey. A mountain lion has a burst of energy and is fast for short distances. So they lie in wait where the prey is and then it's a quick rush and jump.
Where did our Griffith Park lion come from?
We may never know, but the two most logical choices are either the Santa Monica Mountains or the San Gabriel Mountains. There seems to be a better connection to its habitat on Mulholland Drive, which runs in a line from the Santa Monica Mountains toward Griffith Park. It wouldn't be easy for a lion to make this journey, but it's conceivable. They would use any cover that's available to them - drainage ditches and trees - they're very cryptic, secretive.
Is there a possibility that it came from someone's backyard?
Yes. There are a number of accounts back in the eastern U.S. of mountain lions being seen in places like New York State. Mountain lions used to occur there, but as far as we know there aren't any native mountain lions still living in the wild in New York. But there are a number of privately owned mountain lions in this country and sometimes people release them or they escape. But an animal that's been in captivity wouldn't know how to behave in the wild. And the reports we're getting on this, the fact that it's been seen a couple of times with a few weeks in between, fits with it being a native wild animal.
Are there others in the park?
We don't even know how many there are in California. The Department of Fish and Game estimates there are maybe four or five thousand but that's just an estimate. There's no way to count them.
You have said that the appearance of the Griffith Park lion might indicate an upswing in the mountain lion population. What would account for that?
That's just speculation on my part. There are certainly more sightings, but there are more people, making it difficult for lions to avoid us. But we really don't understand much about why the lion population goes up and down. Over the past few decades, the number of lions has increased in California. Mountain lions were killed on bounty very aggressively during the first half of the 1900s, and when that stopped, mountain lions increased. And since lions track available food, as deer numbers go up and down, the available prey goes up and down.
Is it correct to say then, as a safety precaution, avoid the deer?
Whenever you see deer in Griffith Park, or in any of the mountains around L.A., there could be a lion in the area. But I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that the lion is very close to that particular deer. Most of the time, lions will be hunting at night, dawn or dusk. It just means that the prey is nearby and you're in mountain lion habitat.
What safety precautions did you suggest to Griffith Park officials?
These are the same things that anyone who goes into the mountains in Southern California should be aware of. You're in mountain lion habitat; the times you're most likely to encounter a lion is at night, or dawn or dusk. Travel with companions. Don't let your children get out of sight. And it's always a good idea to have a cell phone in case you do have an encounter. I saw some reports making a big deal about dogs off their leashes. Mountain lions do view dogs as a prey item, but that's typically when a lion comes onto someone's property. In Griffith Park, if you do have a dog poking around, you don't know what's going to happen.
You were quoted saying that the assumption about lions being shy and reclusive is changing. Are the lions changing, or just the assumptions?
Actually, I would like to correct that. Lions are still shy and reclusive and I didn't mean to imply they aren't any longer. That fits with what this Griffith Park animal is doing. Otherwise it would have been seen more frequently. All of the research we've done in San Diego fits with the idea that the lions are still doing what they can to avoid being seen.
From the lion's perspective, what most concerns you about this situation?
Griffith Park is not a good place for a mountain lion. It's a relatively small habitat and it's difficult for a lion to stay there a long time without getting into trouble. For example, moving out into the streets and getting hit by a car, or showing up in someone's yard where it could cause alarm and a response by law enforcement. Mountain lions are a true wild animal and Griffith Park only provides a portion of what a population of lions would need long term. There is adequate food and cover, however, with dozens of deer and smaller animals, as well, which is probably why this lion has remained there this long.
Are there any plans to capture it?
There's no plan to do that. The lion really hasn't done anything that would warrant capturing. I know some people would prefer it wasn't there. But the lion is behaving the way we expect lions to behave and want them to behave. It's avoiding people. There's nothing to suggest that this lion is a public threat.
What should you do if you encounter a lion? Most Californians are never going to see a lion. The times it has been seen, the animal looked at the person and went in the other direction very quickly. That's normal. If the lion should behave in a threatening way, you basically want to act big, do whatever you need to do to show the lion that you're the aggressive, dominant animal.
Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
How Much Is That Doggie In The Window By Annette Stark
How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?
Dogs at L.A.'s animal shelters are now auctioned off for as much as $1,000 a pooch
By Annette Stark
When Lance Mancuso promised his 11-year-old daughter a new puppy last Christmas, he never imagined that he would end up paying $1,000 for a stray dog at a city shelter. Almost a year later, the former Studio City resident still describes the experience as "a nightmare."
Like many Southern Californians, Mancuso felt "it was wrong" to buy a pet from a breeder or a puppy mill. So, one day before Christmas, he showed up to adopt a six-month-old Saint Bernard he had seen at the East Valley Shelter. "They told me that it wouldn't be available 'til the day after Christmas, even though it had already been there more than a week. I said, 'I'll be back,' and they said, 'Get here early.'"
Two days later, Mancuso was "racing to get there at six a.m." He was the first one on line and for three hours watched the crowd grow to over 20 people. Eventually, Mancuso learned that the two men behind him had found the Saint Bernard and brought it to the shelter, which meant that they had first rights. He stayed anyway for a boxer puppy. At nine, a shelter employee came out and announced, "If you're here for the boxer puppies, go to the back and put your name in. We'll be auctioning them." The crowd rushed to the back where another employee announced that the bidding would start at $140.
Mancuso was shocked, but he didn't want to let his daughter down. When the bidding escalated to $800, he shouted, "I'll pay a thousand!" The puppy was his.
For days, Mancuso rationalized that he had promised his daughter and "couldn't lie to her." But later, recounting the fiasco at a meeting of the Studio City Neighborhood Council where he was a member, Mancuso learned that this shelter policy was completely unknown. "Some people said, 'You paid a thousand dollars for a shelter dog? Why didn't you just go to a store?'" he says.
"When I first heard about Lance's situation I was in shock," recalls animal activist Charlotte Laws, Ph.D., member of the Greater Valley Glen Council and a longtime advocate for no-kill L.A. shelters. "The goal of animal services in my view is to help the animals. It shouldn't be to auction them off to get the most amount of money. It puts the emphasis in the wrong place. Time and energy should not be spent that way."
Laws isn't alone. Many activists were stunned to hear about this practice. "I have been in the animal protection field for well over a decade, and I have never heard of a system whereby unwanted animals are auctioned off to a highest bidder," remarks Daphna Nachminovitch, director of Domestic Animal and Wildlife Rescue & Information for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). "Treating animals like auction items - up for bid as if they were inanimate objects, merchandise - perpetuates the throwaway mentality that lands millions of animals in our nation's shelters each year. It's counterproductive to the extreme."
Others say they had known and had opposed it. Animal Defense League (ADL) founder Pamelyn Ferdin says that she and others had fought the auctions at meetings with the Board of Animal Services Commissioners in 2004. In fact, copies of the minutes from a March meeting of the Board indicate that: "Ferdin feels that the auction process sends the wrong message to the public that not all animals and breeds are worthy of adoption."
"It's unethical, immoral, and racist," says Ferdin. "It discriminates against poor people. And a lot of really nice people said they would not go to an auction ever again."
Even those who don't see the policy as racist still say there are plenty of reasons to object. "Auctions discriminate against everybody who can't afford to be the high bidder, having nothing to do with racism," says Jim Bickhart, who is associate director of transportation and also serves as the mayor's staff member responsible for animal services. "I don't think auctions are biased in any way, other than they are biased as to who can afford."
"The good thing is that we have so many puppies," argues Karen Knipscheer, commander of the Departmental Air Rescue Team (DART) and Los Angeles Animal Services (LAAS) spokesperson. "If they don't get the one at the auction, there's always another one behind that." Like others we spoke with, Knipscheer had thought that the auctions were limited to "the cutest purebred dogs." She was surprised when we told her that we had witnessed mixed-breed puppies auctioned for as much as $300.
It would help if LAAS was more proactive in convincing people to take the older dogs, Ferdin insists. "Some people might not realize that they don't want to train a puppy and that it might tear up the furniture, but if the shelter was serious about people adopting older dogs, they would have a meet-and-greet table, like they do in New York. We have secret shoppers going in to the shelters and all they hear is 'the dogs are back there.'"
Full disclosure: this reporter became aware of the practice, like many, while attempting to adopt an eight-week-old Shepherd mix at the East Valley Shelter in North Hollywood. We were the only ones there when the shelter opened at nine, and we got the puppy. Minutes later, an employee rushed out and said, "You can't have it. That's the TV dog. Come back at 12." Apparently, that puppy had been featured on the morning news.
We returned at noon and, again, we got the dog, as well as half the paperwork completed. While the puppy was in the back, being checked for Parvo, a woman rushed in and said, "I want that dog. I'll do anything it takes to get that dog." At that point, we bowed out.
Truthfully, it wasn't as bad as Mancuso's "nightmare," but it wasn't a process you'd be eager to repeat. On return trips to the auction, however, I watched families drop out of the bidding while pets flew out the door for $300 a pup. One family bought two. The policy, it turns out, is actually mandated by law; a point that is made amply clear on the LAAS website that states if two or more people show up to adopt the same dog, an auction will be held. Many say overturning the policy rests entirely with the Board of Animal Services Commissioners.
"It's a department policy," explains Knipscheer, insisting that most shelter personnel don't even agree with it. "I talked to [Commision] Commander [David] Diliberto this morning and he said that he has asked the Commission to change it on two separate times, and they said no."
Ferdin questions how the Commission could continue to ignore the issues, such as poor families sometimes having to bid against wealthy private rescue foundations. "When [private foundations] see a dog that they consider to be gorgeous, they want that dog. There was one purebred Maltese, and they went to the auction and said they would do anything to get that dog."
Teri Austin, who heads the nonprofit Amanda Foundation, admits bidding against private owners at shelter auctions when she thought that "the person bidding could not take care of the animal." Austin supports auctions and expressed the belief held by many that the auction profits go to animal care. But, according to Knipscheer, "the auction money goes into the general fund. It does not go back to the shelters."
"I don't have a great process," Knipscheer admits. "Somebody mentioned bingo this morning, a number in a hat. Yes, maybe that is a lot fairer, but people would still be unhappy because they're not getting the animal."
Bickhart agrees that the lottery is a good idea ("When 20 people show up for one dog, everyone could take a number"), but thinks that state law might prohibit it.
To Ferdin, who has been lobbying to have the entire L.A. shelter system revamped, it's obvious. "It should just be first-come, first-served," she says.
Published: 09/15/2005
Dogs at L.A.'s animal shelters are now auctioned off for as much as $1,000 a pooch
By Annette Stark
When Lance Mancuso promised his 11-year-old daughter a new puppy last Christmas, he never imagined that he would end up paying $1,000 for a stray dog at a city shelter. Almost a year later, the former Studio City resident still describes the experience as "a nightmare."
Like many Southern Californians, Mancuso felt "it was wrong" to buy a pet from a breeder or a puppy mill. So, one day before Christmas, he showed up to adopt a six-month-old Saint Bernard he had seen at the East Valley Shelter. "They told me that it wouldn't be available 'til the day after Christmas, even though it had already been there more than a week. I said, 'I'll be back,' and they said, 'Get here early.'"
Two days later, Mancuso was "racing to get there at six a.m." He was the first one on line and for three hours watched the crowd grow to over 20 people. Eventually, Mancuso learned that the two men behind him had found the Saint Bernard and brought it to the shelter, which meant that they had first rights. He stayed anyway for a boxer puppy. At nine, a shelter employee came out and announced, "If you're here for the boxer puppies, go to the back and put your name in. We'll be auctioning them." The crowd rushed to the back where another employee announced that the bidding would start at $140.
Mancuso was shocked, but he didn't want to let his daughter down. When the bidding escalated to $800, he shouted, "I'll pay a thousand!" The puppy was his.
For days, Mancuso rationalized that he had promised his daughter and "couldn't lie to her." But later, recounting the fiasco at a meeting of the Studio City Neighborhood Council where he was a member, Mancuso learned that this shelter policy was completely unknown. "Some people said, 'You paid a thousand dollars for a shelter dog? Why didn't you just go to a store?'" he says.
"When I first heard about Lance's situation I was in shock," recalls animal activist Charlotte Laws, Ph.D., member of the Greater Valley Glen Council and a longtime advocate for no-kill L.A. shelters. "The goal of animal services in my view is to help the animals. It shouldn't be to auction them off to get the most amount of money. It puts the emphasis in the wrong place. Time and energy should not be spent that way."
Laws isn't alone. Many activists were stunned to hear about this practice. "I have been in the animal protection field for well over a decade, and I have never heard of a system whereby unwanted animals are auctioned off to a highest bidder," remarks Daphna Nachminovitch, director of Domestic Animal and Wildlife Rescue & Information for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). "Treating animals like auction items - up for bid as if they were inanimate objects, merchandise - perpetuates the throwaway mentality that lands millions of animals in our nation's shelters each year. It's counterproductive to the extreme."
Others say they had known and had opposed it. Animal Defense League (ADL) founder Pamelyn Ferdin says that she and others had fought the auctions at meetings with the Board of Animal Services Commissioners in 2004. In fact, copies of the minutes from a March meeting of the Board indicate that: "Ferdin feels that the auction process sends the wrong message to the public that not all animals and breeds are worthy of adoption."
"It's unethical, immoral, and racist," says Ferdin. "It discriminates against poor people. And a lot of really nice people said they would not go to an auction ever again."
Even those who don't see the policy as racist still say there are plenty of reasons to object. "Auctions discriminate against everybody who can't afford to be the high bidder, having nothing to do with racism," says Jim Bickhart, who is associate director of transportation and also serves as the mayor's staff member responsible for animal services. "I don't think auctions are biased in any way, other than they are biased as to who can afford."
"The good thing is that we have so many puppies," argues Karen Knipscheer, commander of the Departmental Air Rescue Team (DART) and Los Angeles Animal Services (LAAS) spokesperson. "If they don't get the one at the auction, there's always another one behind that." Like others we spoke with, Knipscheer had thought that the auctions were limited to "the cutest purebred dogs." She was surprised when we told her that we had witnessed mixed-breed puppies auctioned for as much as $300.
It would help if LAAS was more proactive in convincing people to take the older dogs, Ferdin insists. "Some people might not realize that they don't want to train a puppy and that it might tear up the furniture, but if the shelter was serious about people adopting older dogs, they would have a meet-and-greet table, like they do in New York. We have secret shoppers going in to the shelters and all they hear is 'the dogs are back there.'"
Full disclosure: this reporter became aware of the practice, like many, while attempting to adopt an eight-week-old Shepherd mix at the East Valley Shelter in North Hollywood. We were the only ones there when the shelter opened at nine, and we got the puppy. Minutes later, an employee rushed out and said, "You can't have it. That's the TV dog. Come back at 12." Apparently, that puppy had been featured on the morning news.
We returned at noon and, again, we got the dog, as well as half the paperwork completed. While the puppy was in the back, being checked for Parvo, a woman rushed in and said, "I want that dog. I'll do anything it takes to get that dog." At that point, we bowed out.
Truthfully, it wasn't as bad as Mancuso's "nightmare," but it wasn't a process you'd be eager to repeat. On return trips to the auction, however, I watched families drop out of the bidding while pets flew out the door for $300 a pup. One family bought two. The policy, it turns out, is actually mandated by law; a point that is made amply clear on the LAAS website that states if two or more people show up to adopt the same dog, an auction will be held. Many say overturning the policy rests entirely with the Board of Animal Services Commissioners.
"It's a department policy," explains Knipscheer, insisting that most shelter personnel don't even agree with it. "I talked to [Commision] Commander [David] Diliberto this morning and he said that he has asked the Commission to change it on two separate times, and they said no."
Ferdin questions how the Commission could continue to ignore the issues, such as poor families sometimes having to bid against wealthy private rescue foundations. "When [private foundations] see a dog that they consider to be gorgeous, they want that dog. There was one purebred Maltese, and they went to the auction and said they would do anything to get that dog."
Teri Austin, who heads the nonprofit Amanda Foundation, admits bidding against private owners at shelter auctions when she thought that "the person bidding could not take care of the animal." Austin supports auctions and expressed the belief held by many that the auction profits go to animal care. But, according to Knipscheer, "the auction money goes into the general fund. It does not go back to the shelters."
"I don't have a great process," Knipscheer admits. "Somebody mentioned bingo this morning, a number in a hat. Yes, maybe that is a lot fairer, but people would still be unhappy because they're not getting the animal."
Bickhart agrees that the lottery is a good idea ("When 20 people show up for one dog, everyone could take a number"), but thinks that state law might prohibit it.
To Ferdin, who has been lobbying to have the entire L.A. shelter system revamped, it's obvious. "It should just be first-come, first-served," she says.
Published: 09/15/2005
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