Ocelot Conservation Festival

Celebrate at the Ocelot Conservation Festival 

It’s time to celebrate ocelot! Learn about the Texas ocelot, the main focus of an exciting festiva that is taking place in South Texas! Visitors can enjoy educational programs on fishing, hunting, and bird watching that compliment fun puppet shows, silent auctions, and the opportunity to see some wonderful wildlife species! There is something for everyone at the Ocelot Conservation Festival, a unique event whose proceeds go to benefit research and conservation of the ocelot. For more information, contact the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge by phone 956-748-3607.

New York Hunter Bags Rocky Mountain Llama?!

New York Hunter bags elusive Montana Llama 

A New York hunter may be feeling a bit sheepish after mistaking a feral llama in Paradise Valley for a Rocky Mountain elk, but he apparently did not violate any laws. Rusty Saunders of Fort Edward, New York, called a Fish, Wildlife and Parks warden in Livingston [Montana] in November to turn himself in after shooting the llama, according to Mel Frost, FWP information officer in Bozeman. Since FWP does not deal with livestock shootings, they immediately turned the investigation over to the Montana Department of Livestock. After investigating, the Livestock Department turned the matter over to Park County authorities without issuing any citations. Continue reading New York Hunter Bags Rocky Mountain Llama?!

Snake Hunting in Africa

In the United States hunting is important for controlling certain game species, and although a large number of people do hunt to put food on the table, the majority of hunters could drive to the store and buy commerically grown protein. However, persons dwelling in other countries do rely on hunting for survival. And I’m all for it, but what if that putting food on the table meant snake hunting?

Yeah, sounds a little daunting a first, but what if I told you the snake was over 20 feet in length? Okay, this is where most people would back out the whole snake hunting experience, but in Africa this is exactly what the natives do. These photos show some African hunters going after an African rock python. These photos are not for the faint of heart, but they are amazing!

They start by attaching a protective hide over the arm, which will be used to catch the snake as it bites the hunter’s arm. After attaching the “armor,” it’s time to head down into the snake’s den and go head-to-head. When the hunter grabs the snake (or the snake grabs the hunter), the other hunters pull the man out by his feet, and thus the snake. I guess there are easy ways to put snake on the table, but apparently not in Africa!

Jaguar Captured in Arizona by Game and Fish

A jaguar was captured in Arizona 

Jaguar conservation has just experienced an exciting development with the first capture and collaring of a wild jaguar in the United States. The male cat was incidentally captured by the Arizona Game and Fish Department on Wednesday, Feb. 18, in an area southwest of Tucson during a research study aimed at monitoring habitat connectivity for mountain lions and black bears. While individual jaguars have been photographed sporadically in the borderland area of the state over the past years, the area where this animal was captured was outside of the area where the last known jaguar photograph was taken in January.

The jaguar was fitted with a satellite tracking collar and then released. The collar will provide biologists with location points every three hours. Early tracking indicates that the cat is doing well and has already travelled more than three miles from the capture site. The data produced by the collar will shed light on a little-studied population segment of this species that uses southern Arizona and New Mexico as the northern extent of its range. Continue reading Jaguar Captured in Arizona by Game and Fish