Tagged With "raccoon"

And they are smart. When my kids were young, we used to camp every summer in Maine, at a site where raccoons came every night to feast at the cans. One year I decided I'd had enough, and brought chain tethers to keep the lids on. Worked fine, the lids stayed quiet all night. But in the morning, when we left our tents, we found that our two stryofoam coolers (which were not in use) had been shredded, all the implements from the table were on the ground, and the ropes securing our storage tarp...

Yes, that sounds about in character for them. Cute, but cunning. When there is a global Holocaust someday, it will not be the insects that take over the world. It will be the raccoons! Or at least the raccoons will be the commanders. The insects might be their foot soldiers.

I just found out today that the Burmese Pythons are devastating the small mammals of the Everglades. More than 98% of them are gone. Seems this little guy may become a rarity in the future. He's smaller than most US raccoons because it's more beneficial to shed heat if you're smaller.

DrF, I just noticed the "views" counter to the right of the photo. Why here and not for other features? I think it'd be interesting to have them on all items.

Agreed. This is the only standard on with the hoop.la software. Will look into getting others in due course.

The snake is doing the job that he was designed to do. Unfortunately, he is doing so far from his native habitat and finds the native south Florida species easy prey. This python is in the park as the result of accidental or intentional release. Yes, people take their hungry, unwanted pets to the park. The National Park Service is working hard to try to manage the situation. h ttp://www.nps.gov/ever/naturescience/burmesepythonsintro.htm

The park rangers have told me that (unofficially) they have given up all hope of eradicating the Burmese python from the ecosystem. They're here to stay.

Invasive species cause havoc not just with cute native species, but also agriculture, people's health and livelihoods. The Park Service has a number of interesting management programs, including a parntership with Florida Fish and Wildlife. Fish and Wildlife has a Pet Amnesty Program so that people can rehome unwanted exotic pets, rather than thoughtlessly placing them in the wild. The exotic animals are offered to adopters, who are given instructions on proper care. Fish and Wildlife offers...

Those are all good resources, TravelandNature, and I certainly believe in responsible pet ownership. Lord knows we own enough pets and my wife just rushed the dog to the vet because he tore off his toenail (and was bleeding badly, poor boy ) Make sure you have a deep wallet or access to a lot of meat if you adopt a python. The python consumes 25 lbs of meat per year for each of its 225 lb adult size. Steaks and live catch preferred.

Hope that puppy is well on the mend. Really ? Pete the Python can really put it away. I have read cases in which (late) owners "forgot" to feed their pet pythons and, well, Pete does not like going hungry... Enjoying your Gumbo on the Go photos from The Everglades very much. It is hard to capture in a pic what is so very special there - the space, the light, the plain "nothingness" that we so sorely need to experience. Have you had the chance to see any stars ? The brighter planets are...

 I think there are few animals more appealing to look at than "bandit-masked" raccoons, which are about the size of a big cat.  A North American animal, you can find them in many habitats, from forests to prairies to cities.  Raccoons...