Procyon lotor*

[dev]

Great thread, love the way the raccoon can be almost a dangerous game animal.

[xl_target]

What a lovely thread with so many different experiences.
I didn't think much about these small little creatures till I read this post.
Timmy , I have read somewhere that beavers can cut down big trees to dam a river.........at times changing it's course.

Beavers are amazing creatures. They have innate Engineering skills! They can probably give your average PWD guy a run for his money.

Beaver Dams:



Images from HERE



A Beaver chewed tree:

image from HERE


An Interesting little article:
Why Beaver build Dams

[Vikram]

Fantastic thread.Had much fun reading your posts,gentlemen.Thanks for that.


Best-
Vikram

[timmy]

Timmy , I have read somewhere that beavers can cut down big trees to dam a river.........at times changing it's course.

Prashant, as I understand it, no animal makes changes to the environment as much as the beaver, not even the elephant. The beaver's work is only exceeded by man's. They are an essential part of the environment, as their changing the courses of streams and rivers creates ponds and wetlands, which, in turn, support all sorts of other wildlife. In addition, this also causes rich topsoil to be deposited all though the valleys where the beavers have done their work.

Beavers are like all rodents (except bigger than most!), in that their teeth are always growing and they actually need to chew. They could fell pretty large trees, but remember that they chiefly want to drag saplings and alder bushes (a type of mountain willow) to their dams and lodges. They wouldn't need large logs for this sort of construction.

[brihacharan]

xl_target / Timmy,
> I simply loved this thread - lot of gyan (knowledge) on Coons & Beavers a la Woodchuck.
> Remember seeing a film by Nat-Geo a long time ago abt Beavers building dams overnight. Me thinks that Beavers could give the pyramid builders a run for their money
> Tks guys keep it coming
Briha

[TwoRivers]

> BTW - are Wood Chucks & Beavers of the same genus?
Briha

No. They are not.

[ckkalyan]

Good ones!

Great anecdotes, XL, Baljit, Briha & Timmy...

From XL's narrative cadence I think we have an ALT in the making.
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Major Payback time....alright, alright! Before someone asks me what ALT stands for
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it is - Alfred Lord Tennyson - LOL!

[timmy]

From XL's narrative cadence I think we have an ALT in the making.

I'll second that motion!

[xl_target]

@ XL, Baljit & Timmy - your anecdotes were an excellent read. This side of the pond the 2 biggest menaces (in most cities/ suburbs) we face are feral dogs followed closely by monkeys... I guess mongooses may be a close third (really nasty customers)...

I can't forget the Monkeys. I had my own run with a Monkey when I was growing up in India:
My Monkey Story

[ckkalyan]

xl_target

What a wonderful childhood memory - I identify with it totally - love it!

Truly inspiring - Monkey Tale!?

Re: alternate .22 pellets
by xl_target » Tue Aug 03, 2010 8:31 pm

You have to be careful when you mess with Monkeys. They seem like harmless little guys but they can be downright nasty. I'm talking from personal experience here.

When I was about fifteen or sixteen years old, my dad was posted to Kolkatta. We lived in an army compound called Jubilee Lines, just a little ways outside Fort William. At the time it was a very pleasant place, with the river just a short ways away, surrounded by greenery. Most of us kids had airguns and we used them all them time much to the detriment of the Rats, Pigeons and Crows in the area. We had a badminton court in the compound but we were chronically short of shuttlecocks. One of the officers in the colony loved eating Pigeons and he made a deal with us kids, one shuttlecock for every three pigeons or something similar. After we cleared the compound of Pigeons, we would have to go further afield to find them. We often went down by the river and shot them out of the trees there.

By my building, there was a back gate which led to an MES office compound. The wall around that compound was surrounded by a six foot wall topped with crushed glass. On the other side of that compound was a road and past the road was the river. One Saturday morning, we cut through the MES compound to get to the river. There were four of us and three of us had airguns. This day, there was a troop of Monkeys chattering and frolicking in the trees. I was kind of ticked off because it meant that they had chased all the Pigeons away. I was thinking that maybe if we chased the monkeys away, we might be able to get some Pigeons back later in the day. So Bwana Target, mighty hunter, decides to take a pot shot at one of the Monkeys. I'm just going to shoot him in the ass, see, not really hurt him or anything. Just going to show him who's the boss. So I pick out the biggest one and shoot him in the ass. He yelps and jumps up to the top of the tree. My youthfull companions and I laugh and yell at the poor primate.

Oh, Oh, wrong move! Some Monkeys apparently have sensibilities that can be offended. At least, this one decided that enough was enough. All of a sudden, he, Alpha male that he is, woofs and drops out of the tree. He stands up, stretching to his full height, bares his teeth and growls and starts advancing slowly. I laugh, after all I have my brave compadres backing me up and we have Airguns! So I load another pellet quickly while still keeping an eye on the monkey and it drops out of the barrel to the ground. We always held a couple of extra pellets in our teeth so we could reload quickly. So I spit out another pellet into my hand and turn to say something to my brave cohort. I look behind me and I'm all alone. Not a soul to be seen, anywhere. It's just Clyde the Orangutan and me. Ulp! Crap! I swallowed my last pellet and I dropped the one in my hand! I start digging in my pocket for another pellet but I can tell he's going to get to me before I can find another. So I do what any other mighty hunter does when the tables are turned on him, I run!

I run into the MES compound, heading for the back gate and what the... its shut, with a great big padlock on it. Crap! Saturdays are half days! So here I am trapped in a corner of this compound with six foot high walls and a locked gate and King Kong is advancing towards me. He's getting bigger and faster all the time and he has these great big yellow fangs sticking out the corners of his mouth. Oh yeah! I remember those great big yellow fangs to this day. I still dont know how I did it but I vaulted that wall, broken glass on top and all. When I landed on the other side, I still had my airgun in my hand and not a scratch anyhwere. Those brave companions of mine, those guys who had my back, they hid from me for the rest of the day. None of us ever brought up that particular subject again.

I can tell you though, I never messed with another Monkey after that, .... never.

[prashantsingh]

My Monkey Story

What a fantastic read xl.

Reminds me of my experience in the Savana which was scary.
The first time I landed in the reserve I expected the animals to be walking around my jeep so that I could pick and choose the best trophy.
I had seen that so many times on Animal Planet .
That happens. In Game Reserves where Hunting is banned. You can actually drive up to them and they don't mind your presence.
In hunting reserves it a different story all together.
The moment they spot your jeep they are gone. So one has to leave the vehicle behind and walk.
My PH had once shown me small black dots on the horizon. "Look Black Wilderbeast" he said.
I strained my eyes and told him "Must be. If you say so . They look like ants to me."
He also told me a story of how the Black Wilderbeast numbers had dropped to around 600 in South Africa and how the Pvt Land Owners had brought back the animal from extinction.
The Black Wilderbeast are the most beautiful amongst all wilderbeasts (which are otherwise an ugly looking animal.)
To cut the long story short. On my third day we were out hunting a springbok when we climbed a small ridge and found ourselves rather close to a big herd of Black Wilderbeast on the other side. The sky was overcast and the herd was in a rather happy mood. We waited and watched . "They are called the Jokers of the Savana" my PH told me. "Keep running around for no rhyme or reason".
The words had barely come out of his mouth when the herd started to run.........directly towards us.
I tell you guys it's a horrible feeling to be caught on the wrong side of a wilderbeast charge.
You just can't out run them and there was not a tree to climb anywhere closeby .
I had already signed a Indemnity Bond with the Shikar company.
"What do we do?" I asked
"Just hold your ground and pray to God" said my PH.
I knew we were in trouble.
I was sh##t scared and could only think of my wife and kids back home.
Fortunately the guy right in front took a shap turn and the herd followed
leaving the two of us behind with the earth shaking below our feet.

[ckkalyan]

prashantsingh

Thanks for sharing another hunting tale with us!

The black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou) is one of two species of wildebeest; the other is, of course, the more numerous blue wildebeest - well known from natural history documentaries, roaming across the Serengeti. It might surprise you to learn that wildebeest, both the blue and black species, are actually a type of antelope.

The reason black wildebeest were so heavily hunted is largely because farmers saw them as pests - the meat was, in many cases, only a by-product of the 'pest' control. Furthermore, the white tails of the black wildebeest were commonly saved for use as fly swats, similar to the way in which the live animal would have used the tail itself.

From: http://thewebsiteofeverything.com/anima ... -gnou.html

[xl_target]

My Monkey Story

What a fantastic read xl.

Reminds me of my experience in the Savana which was scary.
The first time I landed in the reserve I expected the animals to be walking around my jeep so that I could pick and choose the best trophy.
I had seen that so many times on Animal Planet .
That happens. In Game Reserves where Hunting is banned. You can actually drive up to them and they don't mind your presence.
In hunting reserves it a different story all together.
The moment they spot your jeep they are gone. So one has to leave the vehicle behind and walk.
My PH had once shown me small black dots on the horizon. "Look Black Wilderbeast" he said.
I strained my eyes and told him "Must be. If you say so . They look like ants to me."
He also told me a story of how the Black Wilderbeast numbers had dropped to around 600 in South Africa and how the Pvt Land Owners had brought back the animal from extinction.
The Black Wilderbeast are the most beautiful amongst all wilderbeasts (which are otherwise an ugly looking animal.)
To cut the long story short. On my third day we were out hunting a springbok when we climbed a small ridge and found ourselves rather close to a big herd of Black Wilderbeast on the other side. The sky was overcast and the herd was in a rather happy mood. We waited and watched . "They are called the Jokers of the Savana" my PH told me. "Keep running around for no rhyme or reason".
The words had barely come out of his mouth when the herd started to run.........directly towards us.
I tell you guys it's a horrible feeling to be caught on the wrong side of a wilderbeast charge.
You just can't out run them and there was not a tree to climb anywhere closeby .
I had already signed a Indemnity Bond with the Shikar company.
"What do we do?" I asked
"Just hold your ground and pray to God" said my PH.
I knew we were in trouble.
I was sh##t scared and could only think of my wife and kids back home.
Fortunately the guy right in front took a shap turn and the herd followed
leaving the two of us behind with the earth shaking below our feet.

Thanks for sharing, Prashant.
It just takes a few experiences like that to reinforce how puny we humans really are. Compared to many other animals, we can't run fast or far. We don't have much strength or stamina and our senses are relatively dull. Without all the tools that we use to make our lives easier, almost any of nature's other creatures could put paid to us, with ease.

[drifter]

Dear xl_target,

What a brilliant experiance loved it. I just remembered the saying a friend in need is a pain in the A$X.

Regards,
Prithveen.

[brihacharan]

Hi xl_target / Prashantsingh,

> I quote xl_target...
Thanks for sharing, Prashant.
It just takes a few experiences like that to reinforce how puny we humans really are. Compared to many other animals, we can't run fast or far. We don't have much strength or stamina and our senses are relatively dull. Without all the tools that we use to make our lives easier, almost any of nature's other creatures could put paid to us, with ease.

> After reading your experiences with Monkeys & Gnus, I can't help but add my own experience - Its something to "Crow" about"!!!
> Soon after my final graduation exams got over(this was way back in the 50's) I packed my bags to visit my eldest cousin in Dharwad (Karnataka) he was then the 'Collector' posted there.
> His bungalow stood on a 2 1/2 acre plot surrounded by various trees - mango /guava / Sapota (Chikoo) / tamarind and jackfruit.
> The fruits were never spared because of the squirrels, parrots and other avian species that flocked to peck & savour them.
> Here I was seated in the varendah sipping my morning 'pick me up' when a 3 week old kitten ambled its way close to me.
> Soon a big black 'Raven' flew down from an yonder tree and started eyeing the kitten - I tried my best to shoo it away - but the feller didn' budge an inch from where he was perched on the varendah railing.
> I was a little peeved by its adament behaviour & asked the gardener's son to bring his catapult - after loading a pebble I let fly agaist its neck - the next thing that happened was the crow got lifted from his perch & fell to the ground.
> When I got near it, it was still fluttering & trying to crawl away, I then lifted it by its wing to chuck it into the huge stone garbage bin close by.
> All hell broke loose - out from nowhere flew in a dozen big beaked ravens - I dropped the injured crow and was about to head back to the varendah when to my utter bewilderment & surprise they got into a formation and flew towards me cawing madly - a virtual aerial attack - I rushed towards the varendah to escape the onslought - but the poor gardner's son who stood frozen seeing the spectacle got the brunt of it.
> Poor fellow was pecked on his head & clawed on his face that left him bleeding. His father the gardner had to shave the boy's head & apply turmeric / neem paste to prevent infection.
> Years later when I saw the film "Birds" by Alfred Hitchcock - I practically re-lived the scene!
> I learnt an indelible lesson that "Survival & Protectionism is not confined to man alone" - Its a basic instinct of all living creatures"
Briha