UPDATE: Connections speaker discusses animal encounters
Education can prevent violent encounters between wild animals and humans, an author said to USU freshmen during the Common Literature Convocation Saturday.
David Baron, author of “Beast in the Garden,” delivered the convocation. More than 1,800 attendees heard Baron describe the interaction of wild animals and humans near urban areas.
“You’ve got to educate both the cougars and the people,” Baron said.
People should know how to avoid dangerous animals and how to react during an encounter, Baron said. Nonlethal methods, such as shooting an animal with rubber buckshot, may be effective. While Baron said he thinks cougars as a species have a right to exist, euthanizing aggressive cougars may prevent attacks.
Baron drew his remarks from information he gathered to write “Beast in the Garden.” The book describes conflicts that arose when the cougars returned to the Boulder, Colo. area after humans chased them away a century before. Over the years, public opinion regarding the big cats has changed, he said.
“Here in modern America, we have cats as big as leopards,” Baron said. “They’re living in the suburbs. They’re not endangered. They’re occasionally eating people, and yet many Americans think that’s just fine … it represents a remarkable social shift in this country.”
As the cougars moved near populated areas, they found the suburbs welcoming, Baron said. Sightings increased — people saw cougars kill deer in their yards and the animals were spotted in trees and downtown sidewalks, he said.
Baron said many people think humans should leave cougars alone because the animals lived on the land first.
“I think that’s a really respectful attitude, but I think it’s kind of unrealistic,” Baron said.
By building houses in former cougar habitats, humans interact with wildlife inadvertently, he said. Cougars occasionally make meals of dogs, cats or even deer attracted by plants in people’s yards, he said.
“We can’t just say ‘leave them alone,’ because we’re not leaving them alone,” Baron said. “That’s not to say I know what the right answer is, but I think we need to have a more thoughtful conversation in our communities on how we can manage ourselves and manage the animals so we all get along.”
Organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States and the Jack H. Berryman Institute at USU teach strategies for dealing with wildlife in urban areas, Baron said. On its website, the Humane Society outlines ways in which people can modify their homes and yards to avoid unwanted wildlife interactions.
Terry Messmer, director of the Berryman Institute, said as climate change and other factors alter ecosystems, human-wildlife conflict is likely to increase. As wild animals no longer find harbor in their traditional habitats, they may search for areas with more plentiful food and shelter.
“They will seek greener pastures,” Messmer said, “and those greener pastures with the greener groceries will be backyards and urban areas.”
The Berryman Institute has been providing research, training and outreach on wildlife-human interaction since 1993. As part of its outreach, the institute works with local and national landowners to solve problems with wildlife.
“I field several hundred calls and emails a year from folks that have incidents where wildlife isn’t being so nice,” Messmer said
Baron said during his stay, he spoke with USU student Erika Marchesini, who recently had an encounter with a mountain lion.
Marchesini, an undeclared freshman, said she was in her kitchen when she saw a mountain lion on the roof of her cousin’s house in Lovelock, Nev.
“It was jumping around,” Marchesini said. “I’m not sure why — it was kind of crazy.”
Her father and brother were on a camping trip, so she shot the animal to protect her family.
“It wasn’t a big deal, you just do what you have to do,” she said.
Marchesini read “The Beast in the Garden” and attended Baron’s speech as part of her Connections class. The experience prompted her think about the interaction of humans and wildlife.
“I’ve grown up around a lot of wildlife, but I’ve never considered how seriously everything humans do affects their habitat and affects them,” she said. “As the higher-thinking species, it’s the humans’ responsibility to take care of wildlife and make sure they have what they need and they have the space they need.”
Marchesini said she and Baron became acquainted in the Taggart Student Center just before they left on a 5-mile hike near campus. Connections Coordinator Lisa Hancock said the route was planned to show students how nature interacts with humans near urban areas.
Baron said he didn’t write about cougars to scare people or sensationalize attacks, but to start a conversation.
“Cougar attacks are extremely rare,” Baron said. “You are more likely to be killed by a cow.”
Cattle, vending machines and escalators kill more people a year than mountain lions do, he said.
In a central theme of the speech, Baron said creatures in new environments can behave in unexpected ways. Baron applied the theme to freshmen students, encouraging them to try new things.
“To the class of 2016, I say welcome to your new habitat,” he said.
– steve.kent@aggiemail.usu.edu