Outdoors

TheReview

Wednesday, May 20,1992 — A116

T ragic attack | is a reminder of how man must coexist with animals

DEER is common prey for cougar.

Time for a pot-pourri.

Our rufous hummingbirds are
on chicks already. So are our
house finches. Robins are on their
second clutches of eggs while
graceful violet-green swallows are
coursing over our lawns, gardens
and meadows.

In response to many telephone
quenies, violet-green swallows are
easily distinguished from the com-
moner chestnut breasted, fork-
tailed barn swallow.

The former are white below and
in flight display a conspicuous
white patch on either side of the
base of the tail. They prefer to rear
their chicks in nest boxes.

Attractive yellow lupines and
great rounded cushions of the
introduced broom are shedding
sunlight upon our roadsides.

Masses of yellow stonecrop
(Sedum) with its impressive silver
and pink foliage are gracing rocky
outcrops while shady areas are
brightened with brilliant clusters

CY HAMPSON photo

of golden Oregon grape (Mahonia)
nestled among shiny, holly-like
leaves.

Dogwood trees in full bloom
stand tall and proud against ever-
green-clad slopes and cerulean
sky.

Bald eagles and osprey are
breeding in their bulky, high nests
of tangled twigs while in the
marine waters below, the coho are
running.

Few expected the bluebacks to
retum in numbers after last year’s
scanty harvest. It appears that El
Nino is again asserting its influ-
ence upon the runs, causing larger
numbers of salmon to follow the
cooler waters along the west coast
of the Island.

They will likely pursue the
northern route to the streams
where they habitually spawn. Nev-
ertheless, Nanaimo sports-fishing
is currently pretty good.

The tragic attack of a cougar
upon an unfortunate native young-

Fondling fawns can be fatal

Fondling fawns can be fatal to
the fawn, according to Ministry of

Environment conservation officer —

Bob Smit.

He is asking the public not to
touch or remove any fawns they
think may have been abandoned by
its mother.

“Every year we have several
fawns that are brought in. The
fawn is probably not the orphan
you think it is,” Smiurl said. “Its
mother is most likely off finding
food and water.”

Smirl said the mother returns
five or six times daily to nurse and
lick her fawn. By leaving the fawn
on its own, the doe is really trying
tO protect it.

For the first two to four weeks,
the fawn is not strong enough to
tun well from predators. By lying
very still, it may not be detected.

Its spotted coat usually blends in
well with its sunspecked surround-
ings and it has no body scent. If
the doe always stayed with the
fawn, her scent could lead preda-
tors to it, Smuirl said.

The only time you should touch
a fawn is if you find one lying ona
roadway where tt is likely to be hit.
In that case, very gently move it to
one side, he said.

Smirl also noted that it is illegal
to take a fawn out of the wild and
fines of at least $200 could be
levied.

If you do come across a fawn,
and you are sure the mother is
injured or dead, you should call
the toll-free wildlife line. The
number is 1-800-663-WILD
(9453). Staff are available to
answer the phone around the
clock.

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ster on the West Coast reminds us
of the importance of taking effec-
tive measures to prevent such inci-
dents.

There are often problems associ-
ated with situations in which man
chooses to live and pursue his
activities in regions where some-
what unpredictable indigenous
competitors have established their
ranges.

Cougars are generally associated
with sizable populations of native
deer, just as lynx prey largely upon
snowshoe hare and tundra wolves

depend almost exclusively upon
Peary caribou and muskoxen.

In earlier days, the plains’ wolf
followed and foraged upon mem-
bers of the great herds of bison
which flourished on the prairies.
With the advent of farming and
ranching following the demise of
the bison, the wolves switched to
cattle.

We have had many examples of
confrontations between tourists
and both black and grizzly bears.
within our National Parks. There

too, tragic events involving chil-
dren have occurred.

Railroad construction crews,
working on the line between
Mombasa and Nairobi in East

- Africa, encountered lions in the

Tsavo area which developed a taste
for human flesh, though living on
plains teeming with native wild-
life.

Normally, particularly in Ngor-
ongoro Crater where data has been
carefully accumulated over an
extended period, the lions preyed
largely upon wildebeest and zebra.

Nevertheless, whether custom-
ary food resources fluctuate
widely or not, the larger predators
occasionally resort to utilizing
other species.

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