I'm really not surprised to hear than there have been cougar/mountain lion sightings in Oldham. They are incredibly adaptable creatures--many animals are, especially the smaller ones (squirrels, racoons, and skunks), and ones that scavenge (coyotes in particular). Racoons are also diligent dexterous problem-solving thieves; they have a penchant for shiny things, as do crows!
While cougars and coyotes can pose a threat to people, especially children, and our pets, if common sense is used they are rather harmless. Where I'm at we are currently having a problem with dingos and gingo cross breeds. it's not uncommon to be out walking in town at night and see 2 or three trotting around looking for little tidbits (they are scavengers). Mostly they are shy, but they will stalk. Common sense, and the rangers, will tell you that you should make sure your rubbish bins are secure and no tover flowing; not to leave your pets out at night; don't feed them in your unsecured front yard; don't go bushwalking alone or at night without some way of defending yourself; and don't chase them or aggravate them. 9 times out of 10, they'll catch a glimpse of you and tuck tail and run. Most dingos I've come across have been very shy.
In regard to bobcats, when I lived in Tennessee you could hear bobcats crying to each other throughout the night, (this was juuust below the KY state line off I65). I had some semi-feral cats that lived in my barn/garage, that kept the mice and rats down, so to encourage them to stick around, I always left a fairly large bowl of dry food out on my front porch. Naturally it wasn't uncommon to discover that a possum or 2, or a racoon was helping itself as well.
Imagine my surprise (and delight, to be honest) when I discovered that a bobcat was coming around for a feed! I actually got to see him (assume it was a him--he used to spray this one spot at the edge of the flower bed, and once my car tires....
) several times. Beautiful animal.
He also had worms--I saw him once scooting all over the side yard dragging his behind! lol
He never seemed to bother my kitties. They must have just hid when he visited. This went on throughout spring and summer, and into early fall.
Sadly several weeks went by and I heard but didn't see him. Then once night there was a lot of yowling, from not real close by, and gun shot, then silence. I never heard anymore bobcats that season, and never saw him again.
I moved back to Louisville a couple of months after that (financial reasons though)
I am an animal conservationist. I don't support harming any animal. However, with certain species, say deer for example, if their numbers get too high, they will literally starve themselves out, and start migrating into areas they really shouldn't be in, like suburbs or metro, and so I'm an advocate of ethical hunting. And ethical, IMPO, means that any animal you slaughter, you do so with the full intention of eating it and utilising as much of it as possible, not just shooting it for sport and leaving it. That is senseless and a pure waste. I guess that train of thought is some of my Native American blood (?).
And you make sure that you've put the animal out of it's misery--even if that means tracking it a looong way. You put in the effort to injure/fatally wound it, you put in the effort to make sure you finish what you started. That's the least you can do.
Anyway, sorry for the long post. I seem to ramble when I get on here.
I guess I don't get to "talk" to my fellow 'mericans enough! haha
Cheers!
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Mountain Lion spotted in Oldham County
) It's cool because it means that maybe the deer population might be better culled.
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