Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#21

Post by James Y »

Florida Man Removes Hundreds of Iguanas From Florida Ecosystem

This guy actively hunts iguanas, and they are considered a delicacy. Yet I doubt that he and other iguana hunters like him are going to even come close to eradicating them in Florida.

https://youtu.be/7xizCwVFBrw

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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#22

Post by Mushroom »

Doc Dan wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 8:31 am
The hyena was the animal that killed a number of people in France in the 1700's and started all of the werewolf fears and myths. They are not nice pets at all.

Invasive species are a real problem in the USA. Look at what they've done to Australia! Rabbits and cane toads have wrecked the ecosystem. In the US a lot of asians will miss a certain fish that they like to eat and purposely release them into our waters (not knocking asians). Many people will have pets they no longer want and let them go without a thought about the repercussions. Sometimes, like the fireants and the zebra mollusks, they will hitch a ride about a ship. A good solution is hunting them to extinction. If there were a market for skins or etc. they'd be gone very soon.
Hyenas are not nice pets because they’re not pets at all.

Hunting to extinction is a pipe dream and really not a plausible solution in many places. It’s easy to say but in practice it’s nearly impossible to do. In many cases, these animals have become so well established with so much room to expand that it’s just not worth the cost trying to eradicate them.

Some animals like Iguanas in Florida will never be taken care of by human intervention. They’re a permanent part of Florida now. The Brown Anole is another invasive lizard in Florida that outcompetes the native Green Anole and it’s also not going anywhere!

On the other hand, there are wild populations of Peacocks in parts of southern Florida. They’re a common farm bird around the country but there have been enough escapees in Southern Florida to get a wild population started. I’d imagine a bird like that could be properly managed and eradicated from the wild because of how limited their survivable wild range actually is. They’re also big, slow, and easy to find - all things that would seemingly give hunters and predators an advantage.

———

Coincidentally, I recently watched a relevant video about invasive species in New Zealand and they spoke about how eradicating invasive species from anywhere other than islands and strictly controlled wildlife zones is a monumentally impractical task to undertake. (Basically impossible)

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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#23

Post by JD Spydo »

I still think a lot about that hyena that me and the Doctor ( my boss) saw eating that road kill white-tail deer in North Missouri that one autumn ( 2006). It's really not important how it got there. But it would be nice for hunters to be able to put them down if the opportunity presents itself. Hyenas are truly one of the most cunning and vicious animals on planet earth. If I were in Africa I would fear them more than lions or leopards. Only Cape Buffalo and Wild Hippos would instill more fear in me that does a Hyena.

I don't know of any animal in Missouri that would be a match for a Hyena and that's including the invasive Mountain Lions we've had for the past 18 years or so. It would take probably 3 Mountain Lions to take out a hyena. Hyenas are incredibly strong and very hard to kill. Like I said earlier they won't even back down from African Lions. It is scary to think about all the invasive species we have here in the USA at this time.
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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#24

Post by Mushroom »

There’s no doubt hyenas are a dangerous animal and could pose a serious threat to a human. They’re very smart animals and they have one of the strongest bite force of any animal on the planet. With that said though, hyenas aren’t nearly as bold and aggressive when they’re by themselves versus when they’re in a group. A clan hyenas would definitely be something you want to avoid but a lone hyena would probably be more timid and fearful of humans than expected.

A healthy adult human might actually have a slight chance of survival if they were attacked by a hyena. That same person would stand absolutely no chance against an adult lion. There’s a reason why even a clan of hyenas fear and won’t always fight an adult male lion. Cape Buffalo and Hippos can be avoided but lions will actively hunt humans. In their territory, lions are the real alphas and a real cause for fear.

Also, mountain lions are not invasive in Missouri. There may not be any breeding populations in the state at the moment but it’s definitely part of their native range.
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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#25

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Talking about hippos though, 1980’s drug lord Pablo Escobar owned about four Hippos at his home in Colombia and they were left there to die after Escobar was killed. They’ve since established a territory in the environment around the home and their population has grown to nearly 100 individuals. It’s crazy to think that hippos could ever establish an invasive population but it happened!
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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#26

Post by Bloke »

Joe, you’re either a Conspiracy Theorist or just a flat out nutcase.

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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#27

Post by skeeg11 »

James Y wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 9:45 am
Doc Dan wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 8:31 am
[/highlight]

I doubt that would do it. For example, look how long wild pigs/boars have been multiplying and negatively affecting the ecosystem. Supposedly, they're really good eating (I wouldn't know, I don't live down south, and I don't eat pork, anyway). Boar hunting seems a popular pursuit for some.

Jim
Wild pigs can be very good eating. Bountiful acorn mast=very good eating. If they've been topping the barley in your neighbor's field it's the best. Better than super market stuff. In my neck of the woods, feral mix with Randolf Hearst's escapee stock roam oak hillsides. Great reason to buy knives and test them. As I may have said in a recent thread on hunting folder actions, "If I've got three pigs on the ground, knowing I have my SpydieChef in my pocket puts a smile on my face." :winking-tongue
Last edited by skeeg11 on Wed Mar 08, 2023 1:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#28

Post by JD Spydo »

Bloke wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 8:30 pm
Joe, you’re either a Conspiracy Theorist or just a flat out nutcase.

Ah, hahaha, ah, hahaha, ah, hahaha! :winking-tongue
Yes Sir!!! A lot of people think so for sure. But I got the C-60 Ayoob Sprint Run done so I guess I can't be all bad huh?

Yeah Brother I know your country has had it bouts with Cane Toads, Camels, wild hogs and other non indigenous species. I've heard those Cane Toads have really expanded in the last 5 years. Too bad those Cane Toads are poisonous because they would make great food for those Salt Water Crocs you all love so much. It seems like the Salt Water Crocs are the ones that are prospering at this time.

Great to hear you again Brother!!!!
Last edited by JD Spydo on Tue Mar 07, 2023 10:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#29

Post by JD Spydo »

Mushroom wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 7:51 pm
There’s no doubt hyenas are a dangerous animal and could pose a serious threat to a human. They’re very smart animals and they have one of the strongest bite force of any animal on the planet. With that said though, hyenas aren’t nearly as bold and aggressive when they’re by themselves versus when they’re in a group. A clan hyenas would definitely be something you want to avoid but a lone hyena would probably be more timid and fearful of humans than expected.

A healthy adult human might actually have a slight chance of survival if they were attacked by a hyena. That same person would stand absolutely no chance against an adult lion. There’s a reason why even a clan of hyenas fear and won’t always fight an adult male lion. Cape Buffalo and Hippos can be avoided but lions will actively hunt humans. In their territory, lions are the real alphas and a real cause for fear.

Also, mountain lions are not invasive in Missouri. There may not be any breeding populations in the state at the moment but it’s definitely part of their native range.
OH I beg to differ with you about Mountain Lions here in Missouri. Because all the way up to the late 80s there were no reports of Mountain Lions anywhere here in Missouri (North or South of the Missouri River). I've got two good pals who worked for the Missouri Dept of Conservation in the 70s & 80s and they used to tell me about all the reports they received. I've deer hunted in North Missouri from the mid 70s all the way till now. And the guys I hunted with never saw any cougars up north or in the Ozarks region until about the mid 90s. I know this state about like I do the back of my hand and I talk to dozens of other hunters in a year's time and these Ozark hillbillies tell me everything that's going on as well. And the farmers up north know everything that's going on. It wasn't until about the mid 90s we started seeing a few tracks in different places. The rapid rise in our deer population I'm sure is what drew them here again. This state has become filthy with deer in the past 25 years especially.

A farmer I know that lives north of Highway 36 never had any of his calves killed until the early 2000s. And he lives way out in the boonies. If anyone would have been a target for mountain lion activity it would have been him or his neighbors. No they are a relatively recent phenomenon.

Sure Mountain Lions were here when Lewis & Clark were alive>> but so were Grizzly Bears, Elk and Buffalo. But most of those creatures were wiped out well before the turn of the 1900s. And the Civil War wreaked havoc on about all of the animal populations here in Missouri as well. I think you're getting some information that's not completely accurate. I know you mean well but the Mountain Lions coming back to this state are relatively recent.
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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#30

Post by JD Spydo »

James Y wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 10:06 am
Florida Man Removes Hundreds of Iguanas From Florida Ecosystem

This guy actively hunts iguanas, and they are considered a delicacy. Yet I doubt that he and other iguana hunters like him are going to even come close to eradicating them in Florida.

Jim
Yeah I heard that Florida was overrun with those Iguanas some time back. I've also heard that they are not bad eating. I've heard that they tastes similar to alligator meat. Florida has some really serious problems and they seem to be slow in dealing with it. If they would put a bounty on those big snakes ( dead or alive) I can assure you that in due time they could get control of the issue. But I've heard that it's only legal for state approved people to hunt them. Because a lot of those folks that live near the state parks, the Everglades and all the other wilderness regions would see them frequently and if they gave them some incentive they could get a grip on that problem I'm sure.

But typically the governments never do anything until it's too late in many cases.
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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#31

Post by Mushroom »

JD Spydo wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 9:42 pm
Mushroom wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 7:51 pm
There’s no doubt hyenas are a dangerous animal and could pose a serious threat to a human. They’re very smart animals and they have one of the strongest bite force of any animal on the planet. With that said though, hyenas aren’t nearly as bold and aggressive when they’re by themselves versus when they’re in a group. A clan hyenas would definitely be something you want to avoid but a lone hyena would probably be more timid and fearful of humans than expected.

A healthy adult human might actually have a slight chance of survival if they were attacked by a hyena. That same person would stand absolutely no chance against an adult lion. There’s a reason why even a clan of hyenas fear and won’t always fight an adult male lion. Cape Buffalo and Hippos can be avoided but lions will actively hunt humans. In their territory, lions are the real alphas and a real cause for fear.

Also, mountain lions are not invasive in Missouri. There may not be any breeding populations in the state at the moment but it’s definitely part of their native range.
OH I beg to differ with you about Mountain Lions here in Missouri. Because all the way up to the late 80s there were no reports of Mountain Lions anywhere here in Missouri (North or South of the Missouri River). I've got two good pals who worked for the Missouri Dept of Conservation in the 70s & 80s and they used to tell me about all the reports they received. I've deer hunted in North Missouri from the mid 70s all the way till now. And the guys I hunted with never saw any cougars up north or in the Ozarks region until about the mid 90s. I know this state about like I do the back of my hand and I talk to dozens of other hunters in a year's time and these Ozark hillbillies tell me everything that's going on as well. And the farmers up north know everything that's going on. It wasn't until about the mid 90s we started seeing a few tracks in different places. The rapid rise in our deer population I'm sure is what drew them here again. This state has become filthy with deer in the past 25 years especially.

A farmer I know that lives north of Highway 36 never had any of his calves killed until the early 2000s. And he lives way out in the boonies. If anyone would have been a target for mountain lion activity it would have been him or his neighbors. No they are a relatively recent phenomenon.

Sure Mountain Lions were here when Lewis & Clark were alive>> but so were Grizzly Bears, Elk and Buffalo. But most of those creatures were wiped out well before the turn of the 1900s. And the Civil War wreaked havoc on about all of the animal populations here in Missouri as well. I think you're getting some information that's not completely accurate. I know you mean well but the Mountain Lions coming back to this state are relatively recent.
I don’t seem to understand what you’re questioning? That mountain lions are not invasive to Missouri or that there aren’t breeding populations there?

There very well could be mountain lions breeding and living in parts of Missouri again, I don’t know one way or the other.

I assure you though, mountains lions are not invasive in Missouri or any other parts of the United States, for that matter. They’ve historically ranged across most of North America all the way down to far reaches of South America. From the Atlantic to the Pacific and from parts of southern Canada down into southern parts of Argentina and Chile.

They were “extirpated” from Missouri in the early 1900’s but as you’ve noted, mountain lions have been returning and therefore sightings having been on the rise since around the 90s.

According to the US Department of Agriculture National Invasive Species Information Center “an "invasive species" is a species that is:

1) non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and,

2) whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.”


https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/wha ... ve-species
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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#32

Post by Doc Dan »

JD Spydo wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 9:42 pm
Mushroom wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 7:51 pm
There’s no doubt hyenas are a dangerous animal and could pose a serious threat to a human. They’re very smart animals and they have one of the strongest bite force of any animal on the planet. With that said though, hyenas aren’t nearly as bold and aggressive when they’re by themselves versus when they’re in a group. A clan hyenas would definitely be something you want to avoid but a lone hyena would probably be more timid and fearful of humans than expected.

A healthy adult human might actually have a slight chance of survival if they were attacked by a hyena. That same person would stand absolutely no chance against an adult lion. There’s a reason why even a clan of hyenas fear and won’t always fight an adult male lion. Cape Buffalo and Hippos can be avoided but lions will actively hunt humans. In their territory, lions are the real alphas and a real cause for fear.

Also, mountain lions are not invasive in Missouri. There may not be any breeding populations in the state at the moment but it’s definitely part of their native range.
OH I beg to differ with you about Mountain Lions here in Missouri. Because all the way up to the late 80s there were no reports of Mountain Lions anywhere here in Missouri (North or South of the Missouri River). I've got two good pals who worked for the Missouri Dept of Conservation in the 70s & 80s and they used to tell me about all the reports they received. I've deer hunted in North Missouri from the mid 70s all the way till now. And the guys I hunted with never saw any cougars up north or in the Ozarks region until about the mid 90s. I know this state about like I do the back of my hand and I talk to dozens of other hunters in a year's time and these Ozark hillbillies tell me everything that's going on as well. And the farmers up north know everything that's going on. It wasn't until about the mid 90s we started seeing a few tracks in different places. The rapid rise in our deer population I'm sure is what drew them here again. This state has become filthy with deer in the past 25 years especially.

A farmer I know that lives north of Highway 36 never had any of his calves killed until the early 2000s. And he lives way out in the boonies. If anyone would have been a target for mountain lion activity it would have been him or his neighbors. No they are a relatively recent phenomenon.

Sure Mountain Lions were here when Lewis & Clark were alive>> but so were Grizzly Bears, Elk and Buffalo. But most of those creatures were wiped out well before the turn of the 1900s. And the Civil War wreaked havoc on about all of the animal populations here in Missouri as well. I think you're getting some information that's not completely accurate. I know you mean well but the Mountain Lions coming back to this state are relatively recent.
No, he's right. Mountain lions/pumas are native to MO. They were hunted out, but have returned. In order to be invasive, they have to be non-native species.

Jaguars have returned to the SW USA, also. That is a good thing. They were hunted out by the early 1900's.
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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#33

Post by James Y »

Animals have no awareness of state borders, or when they're crossing from one state to another.

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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#34

Post by James Y »

Several years ago, I saw an interview with a young lone woman hiker who had gotten lost for several days in one of CA's national forests. I don't remember whether the wilderness was in Southern CA or Central CA, but I think it was in SoCal.

I think it was on her 3rd day missing, she said she was sitting by a river and spotted what she clearly saw was an adult chimpanzee, moving across a clearing further up the river, a short distance away. According to her, the 'chimpanzee' never saw her, and it quickly moved out of her line of sight.

If she did see a chimpanzee, it could have been an escapee from a private owner, or possibly even a deliberate release. Adult chimps are EXTREMELY dangerous.

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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#35

Post by Manixguy@1994 »

ImageThe Asian Carp has invaded the Illinois River since the great flood where ponds where filled with the species and released into uncontrolled waters . Major problem , commercial fishing is taking off to harvest . Mountain Lions sightings are more frequent in Illinois but they are not considered invasive .
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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#36

Post by JD Spydo »

Doc Dan wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 11:43 pm
JD Spydo wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 9:42 pm
Mushroom wrote:
Tue Mar 07, 2023 7:51 pm
There’s no doubt hyenas are a dangerous animal and could pose a serious threat to a human. They’re very smart animals and they have one of the strongest bite force of any animal on the planet. With that said though, hyenas aren’t nearly as bold and aggressive when they’re by themselves versus when they’re in a group. A clan hyenas would definitely be something you want to avoid but a lone hyena would probably be more timid and fearful of humans than expected.

A healthy adult human might actually have a slight chance of survival if they were attacked by a hyena. That same person would stand absolutely no chance against an adult lion. There’s a reason why even a clan of hyenas fear and won’t always fight an adult male lion. Cape Buffalo and Hippos can be avoided but lions will actively hunt humans. In their territory, lions are the real alphas and a real cause for fear.

Also, mountain lions are not invasive in Missouri. There may not be any breeding populations in the state at the moment but it’s definitely part of their native range.
OH I beg to differ with you about Mountain Lions here in Missouri. Because all the way up to the late 80s there were no reports of Mountain Lions anywhere here in Missouri (North or South of the Missouri River). I've got two good pals who worked for the Missouri Dept of Conservation in the 70s & 80s and they used to tell me about all the reports they received. I've deer hunted in North Missouri from the mid 70s all the way till now. And the guys I hunted with never saw any cougars up north or in the Ozarks region until about the mid 90s. I know this state about like I do the back of my hand and I talk to dozens of other hunters in a year's time and these Ozark hillbillies tell me everything that's going on as well. And the farmers up north know everything that's going on. It wasn't until about the mid 90s we started seeing a few tracks in different places. The rapid rise in our deer population I'm sure is what drew them here again. This state has become filthy with deer in the past 25 years especially.

A farmer I know that lives north of Highway 36 never had any of his calves killed until the early 2000s. And he lives way out in the boonies. If anyone would have been a target for mountain lion activity it would have been him or his neighbors. No they are a relatively recent phenomenon.

Sure Mountain Lions were here when Lewis & Clark were alive>> but so were Grizzly Bears, Elk and Buffalo. But most of those creatures were wiped out well before the turn of the 1900s. And the Civil War wreaked havoc on about all of the animal populations here in Missouri as well. I think you're getting some information that's not completely accurate. I know you mean well but the Mountain Lions coming back to this state are relatively recent.
No, he's right. Mountain lions/pumas are native to MO. They were hunted out, but have returned. In order to be invasive, they have to be non-native species.

Jaguars have returned to the SW USA, also. That is a good thing. They were hunted out by the early 1900's.
Doc Dan if you would go back and re-read what I wrote you would see that is exactly what I was saying. Both my parents lived through the Great Depression. My mother was from Mississippi and my day was a Missouri Native. Both parents told me that most of the wildlife in both states were killed out because people were extremely desperate for something to eat. My dad even told me that him and his brother were even killing song birds for something to eat. So it goes without saying that many of the native wildlife here in Missouri were eradicated for a long period of time. That's the point I was trying to get across. I wasn't in any way trying to indicate that fellow forumite "Mushroom" was lying. Because at one time that was the truth. Heck the deer population in Missouri as recent as the 1960s were few and far between. I can personally remember when I killed my first deer in the mid 70s that it was something big to be bragged about. Heck now killing a deer is the equivalent to killing a quail or cottontail rabbit. I have no way of proving it but I do believe that the present day Mountain Lions here In Missouri were put here to keep the deer population in check. Because they are getting too numerous in many of the state and national forests especially. Please don't take me out of context.

However there was a small remnant of white-tail deer and black bear but they were deep in the Ozark forests and all the way up to the 50s and 60s seeing one was a major event. As I was saying there was a time when Grizzly Bear, Elk, Buffalo (Bison), Wolves (all North American species) and to a small degree even pronghorn antelope were all native to that state of Missouri. But I can tell you that as a kid growing up in the 1960s seeing a deer was a rare thing. And I didn't hear of any Mountain Lions in this state till about the early to mid 90s. And I've been an avid hunter since I was 12 years old. Now deer are coming into people's back yards at night to eat.

If you read what I originally wrote in my previous post you'll see that I made that clear.
Last edited by JD Spydo on Wed Mar 08, 2023 9:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#37

Post by JD Spydo »

James Y wrote:
Wed Mar 08, 2023 12:51 am
Several years ago, I saw an interview with a young lone woman hiker who had gotten lost for several days in one of CA's national forests. I don't remember whether the wilderness was in Southern CA or Central CA, but I think it was in SoCal.

I think it was on her 3rd day missing, she said she was sitting by a river and spotted what she clearly saw was an adult chimpanzee, moving across a clearing further up the river, a short distance away. According to her, the 'chimpanzee' never saw her, and it quickly moved out of her line of sight.

If she did see a chimpanzee, it could have been an escapee from a private owner, or possibly even a deliberate release. Adult chimps are EXTREMELY dangerous.

Jim
Chimpanzees and particularly adult males are probably one of the most dangerous and unpredictable animals on the planet. The "Charla Nash" attack at around 2009 was truly one of the most terrifying events in recent memory. That poor lady was a beautiful person and a great mother and a good friend of the Chimp owner. It should have never been legal for that Sandra Herold to own it>> much less to have it in a metropolitan area. I read where Ms. Herold admitted to giving that Chimp a Xanax which is a tranquilizer type drug that has an opposite effect on Chimps. She later retracted that statement. But the damage was already done. Charla Nash was extremely fortunate to have survived that attack at all. I've even herd of young chimps biting people's fingers off among many other atrocities.

They should only be legal in zoos and licensed research labs.
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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#38

Post by JD Spydo »

Oh by the way there is another subject that is getting overlooked and it seems to be happening mainly around major rivers and in big Metro areas. I'm speaking of packs of domestic dogs that have gone feral. I've personally encountered some wild dogs in the timber and needless to say it was an unnerving experience. I even did a thread on it 2 to 3 years ago and discovered that it's happening all over the USA. Dogs going wild and joining packs of other wild dogs is another growing problem

We also have a problem with packs of dogs being seen along the Missouri River or any other place the presents a supply of food, water and other necessities. I used to love to hike along the Missouri River for long periods of time but I wouldn't do it now unless I had others with me and we would all be armed. Not to mention the growing number of homeless people who for all intent and purposes have kind of gone wild themselves and set up shop around rivers, lakes and other public places. It is truly spooky times we are living in.
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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#39

Post by Mushroom »

JD Spydo wrote:
Wed Mar 08, 2023 8:58 am
Doc Dan if you would go back and re-read what I wrote you would see that is exactly what I was saying. Both my parents lived through the Great Depression. My mother was from Mississippi and my day was a Missouri Native. Both parents told me that most of the wildlife in both states were killed out because people were extremely desperate for something to eat. My dad even told me that him and his brother were even killing song birds for something to eat. So it goes without saying that many of the native wildlife here in Missouri were eradicated for a long period of time. That's the point I was trying to get across. I wasn't in any way trying to indicate that fellow forumite "Mushroom" was lying. Because at one time that was the truth. Heck the deer population in Missouri as recent as the 1960s were few and far between. I can personally remember when I killed my first deer in the mid 70s that it was something big to be bragged about. Heck now killing a deer is the equivalent to killing a quail or cottontail rabbit. I have no way of proving it but I do believe that the present day Mountain Lions here In Missouri were put here to keep the deer population in check. Because they are getting too numerous in many of the state and national forests especially. Please don't take me out of context.

However there was a small remnant of white-tail deer and black bear but they were deep in the Ozark forests and all the way up to the 50s and 60s seeing one was a major event. As I was saying there was a time when Grizzly Bear, Elk, Buffalo (Bison), Wolves (all North American species) and to a small degree even pronghorn antelope were all native to that state of Missouri. But I can tell you that as a kid growing up in the 1960s seeing a deer was a rare thing. And I didn't hear of any Mountain Lions in this state till about the early to mid 90s. And I've been an avid hunter since I was 12 years old. Now deer are coming into people's back yards at night to eat.

If you read what I originally wrote in my previous post you'll see that I made that clear.
The thing is though, you didn’t make anything clear. It’s actually still not clear what you meant. No one is taking what you said out of context either. You said mountain lions are invasive to Missouri - but they’re not. I’ll ask again, what is it that you “beg to differ?” That they’re not invasive or that there aren’t breeding populations in Missouri?

Lets make one thing clear - mountain lions are not an invasive species in Missouri.

I don’t actually know if there are any breeding populations in the state at the moment. I would’ve assumed there isn’t regardless of sightings becoming more frequent. The Missouri state Department of Conservation claims there aren’t any active breeding populations right now, but again I don’t personally know for certain. I can only trust what the appropriate authorities tell me in this situation.
-Nick :bug-red
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Naperville
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Re: Exotic Animals Invading USA Wilderness Areas

#40

Post by Naperville »

Whichever state has these problems there are a number of ways to go after invasive species.

- Each state has a state fair at least 1x per year. Have an award for the best recipe of the invasive species. Give money to the top 5 in each category for soups and dishes.
- Put out a bounty on the heads of the invasive species. With enough money per head you will find people willing to go out and hunt them.
- Make a big deal out of the winner of the awards. Put them in flyers, on TV...give them FREE exposure and if they have a business, advertise it for FREE.
- Organize a hunt for the invasive species and on that day or week, double the awards.

There are probably other ways to entice people to hunt these vermin to extinction. I have never gone hunting, but I'd take cues from hunters on what gets them motivated.
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