In the novel Where the Red Fern Grows the protagonist Billy encounters a mountain lion when he is traveling alone with his pups. (Pg. 111). According to Wikipedia, the mountain lion is “properly considered both nocturnal and crepuscular.” which means that they are primarily nocturnal but are most active at dusk or dawn. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar ). The mountain lion primarily eats deer, coyotes, raccoons, rodents, elk, feral hogs, and porcupines. Mountain lions live in the western hemisphere from Canada to Argentina. Besides living in the Ozarks where the story takes place they also live in the area around my house in Orange. Human encounters with mountain lions are rare and the risk of an attack is small. These animals are not classified as endangered, however, “wildlife experts acknowledged they are increasingly concerned about Southern California’s cougar population.” For the …show more content…
most part, humans are more dangerous to mountain lions. “The number one cause of death for mountain lions is being hit by motor vehicles, particularly on the 241 Toll Road, where 15 cougars have been killed.” (https://www.ocregister.com/2014/04/07/mountain-lion-deaths-spike-in-southern-california/ ). However, the mountain lion is dangerous and can attack humans especially if it is wounded or threatened.
Just as the father in the novel says, “They’ll never bother you unless they are wounded or cornered, but if they are, you had better look out.” (pg. 125). There have been fourteen documented attacks in California since 1986, three of them fatal. (https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Mountain-Lion/Attacks ). In 2004, there was a woman attacked while mountain biking. Witnesses to the attack on the woman said “the mountain lion clamped its jaws around her head and dragged her off the trail before she was rescued by other riders.” (http://articles.latimes.com/2004/jan/09/local/me-lion9) That same day a man was found dead nearby. It was not clear if he died from being attacked by the mountain lion or if he had died from a heart attack because the lion had eaten his heart. (http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/lion_attacks_ca.html). While it is rare to be attacked by mountain lions, it does happen. I personally am not taking any
chances!
Is your heart still in the right place? Has a story ever run with it and broken it, with tears running down your face? If you have read Where the Red Fern Grows, it has definitely happened, making your heart buoyant with happiness and and break with tragedy. The strong-willed Billy, with his faithful redbone hounds, the brawny Old Dan and the brainy runt Little Ann, toy with your emotions as you follow them through their adventures and their tragic losses. Even though the movie based off the book is meant to be similar, and is, there are still differences between them.
Estimates are that at the turn of the twentieth century, over two million wild horses roamed free in the western United States. However, having no protection from their primary predator, man, by the 1970’s their numbers had dwindled to less than thirty thousand. In 1971, after a massive public uproar, Congress by a unanimous vote enacted the “Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act” (Act) that characterizes wild horses and burros as national treasures and provides for their protection. “Congress finds and declares that wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; that they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people; and that these horses and burros are fast disappearing from the American scene. It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands.”
These animals are diminishing in numbers because of illegal hunting and encroachment by humans. The mountain gorilla is considered to be critically endangered. There are roughly 700 mountain gorillas remaining on Earth, and nearly half live in the forests of the Virunga Mountains in central Africa. These gorillas live on the green, volcanic slopes of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo—areas that have seen much human violence from which the gorillas have not escaped. The greatest threat to the mountain gorilla...
Patrick Lewis, the protagonist in the story, In The Skin Of A Lion, goes through an internal change in his beliefs and in his personality; these changes can be noticed throughout the novel. Patrick goes through relationships throughout his life that end up manipulating his view of other’s actions. These key personality changes can be found in the relationships that Patrick had with Clara Dickens, as well as his relationship with Alice Gull. Michael Ondaatje, the author, clearly shows the mental change that Mr. Lewis endured, by showing his compassion and caring with Ms. Dickens; then his attitude changed once Alice influenced him. Nearing the end of the story the change becomes obvious, with his need for revenge, and the interpretation of his attitude with his final actions in the novel.
(1) Most Field and Stream enthusiasts know that cougars are a fast and agile animal that can live for many years with no real predator other than humans. Another name for the cougar is the well used mountain lion which many Eastern states have named stores, schools, and even sports teams after. The distinction that the Mississippi river stops cougars from traveling into Eastern states can’t be proven because there are many animals in the West that are in the East. In Craig Springer’s "A Rumor of Cougar" article posted in the Field and Stream magazine depicts falsehood due to three interesting fallacies, a fallacy of distraction and two causal fallacies. [SS-1]
Conniff continues to talk about the dwindling number of African lions by noting that they are coming rather close to being actually extinct in areas such as West and Central Africa in which there are only 400 remaining and on a larger scale only 20,000 on the whole continent. While 20,000 could seem like a lot to some people it is worth noting that according to Conniff the population is “down from 200,000 in the mid-20th century, and populations are likely to drop by half, except in southern Africa, over the next two
Living and breathing apart from human influence live the animals of the Whites.The White Mountains of New Hampshire play host to several species of plant and wildlife. Among these are the infamous moose, a species that once neared extinction but has since made a comeback. Along with the moose are the coyotes, deer, fox, and many other species. These animals make the White Mountains a great place to go, as a chance to see any one of these c...
The Northern Sea Lion, also known as the stellar sea lion, has the binomial nomenclature of Eumetopias jubatus. They received their name because the adult males have blubbery necks with long fur, like a lion. Their name basically means lion of the sea. These animals can be found in coastal waters of the North Pacific Ocean from Japan to central California. In the Western United States, there is estimated to be about 39,000-45,000 Sea Lions, and in the Eastern United States there is estimated to be about 44,000-48,000 Sea Lions. Globally there is about 85,000 Sea Lions. They live in the salt water/ sub-arctic biome. This biome is special to them because they can adapt to the colder temperatures and they like that they can lay out on the ice when they molt. They mainly live in the water but they sometimes haul-out and leave the ocean. Haul-outs can include anywhere where the land has gravel, or is sandy. Sometimes they just haul-out on to sea ice. They do not need to hibernate because of their thick coat and fur.
According to George Schaller, an American mammologist and biologist, “Mountain gorillas are one of the most endangered animals in the world. Scientists estimate that there are about 600 individuals, living in 2 populations of about 300 each, separated by about 20 miles. Their entire world consists of 285 square miles of high-elevation rain forest in east-central Africa. They are endangered from habitat loss, poaching, and war” (Schaller).
I believe that there are 2 themes in ‘The Wild Life Of Christian The Lion.’ one would be to let things go, the other is that everything happens for the best. In the article, Ace and John have to say goodbye to their lion, Christian, because they feared he would be considered dangerous if kept in london. John said “We knew we couldn’t betray him by putting him in a zoo”, So, they send him to a camp with other lions, who eventually come to live in the wild. Christian had to be let go, and the poem, ‘Wild Home’, could explain what he did after Ace and John left on their plane. It said that lions, not specifically Christian, ‘grazed on star grass, listening to sunbirds and weavers, joining fellow roamers day and night.’ It also quoted how free
“Only when the last of the animals horns, tusks, skin[sic] and bones are sold, will mankind realize that money can never buy back our wildlife” (Anonymous). Throughout history there have been individuals who killed innocent, sparsely populated species of animals for the sole purpose of making money. Those ungrateful human beings performed this sordid task without considering the outcome and everlasting effects on which will be played out. One such animal that was illegally hunted to near extinction was the African lion, the world’s most majestic creature, which sits on a thrown overshadowing all other creatures known to man. The population of the african lion had roughly decreased 50 percent since 1990 (Leake, 2016). The innocent killing of
The Lion is a very intelligent and sophisticated animal. It has a strong set of unique physical abilities along with unbelievable mental traits. Everyone around the globe knows this animal by its common name; Lion. The animals scientific name is the Panthera leo it is derived from the Latin word Leo; with the Hebrew word lavi also intertwined. Panthera Leo means a large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male essentially it mean a lion. lions previously lived in most parts of Africa but these days they are frequently found in the south Sahara desert. They are also found in parts of southern and eastern Africa. African Lions live in places such as Angola, Botswana, Mozambique,
(Panthera Leo) is a flesh-eating animal that live cheifly in sandy plains and rocky places where there are thorn thickets and tall grass. Male lions can reach a length of 2.50m (8ft), and a weight of 250kg (550lb). They can live for 15 years, but in captivity some have reached an age of up to 30 years. They mainly eat larger herbivores such as buffalo, zebra, and in cultivated areas an occasionally human. There strength is amazing, and both parents take great care in tending to their young, often referred to as cubs (168-69).
Once, in a African savannah, there was a lion and a giraffe. The lion wanted a dead bird that was in a tree, but the lion couldn’t reach that high. So, the lion asked the giraffe, “could you please get me that dead bird in the tree?” The giraffe said “what do I get in return, for doing this task?” The lion said “It depends on the task.” “I want the meat from the fattest gazelle in the savanna,” said the giraffe. The lion agreed to the deal. So, as the giraffe agreed, he stretched his long neck as far as it could go and tried to get the bird from the highest branch. Again, the giraffe reached as far as he could, but he wasn’t tall enough to get the bird. “I will have to find something to give me a boost”, said the giraffe. A lone elephant walked
Sikes, Roberts. and William L. Gannon. "Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the Use of Wild Mammals in Research." Journal of Mammalogy 92.1 (Feb. 2011): 235-253. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 5 Oct. 2011.