Archive for November 1, 2010
Wildlife Roundup Disaster: Wolf Pulls Gun, Dozens Injured
by John Weckerle
Wildlife West founder Roger Alink briefs volunteers before the roundup.
Okay, okay – there was no canine carbine activity at this morning’s wolf roundup at Wildlife West Nature Park. But right from the beginning, it was clear that there was trouble brewing. Big, dangerous, snarling, ripping-the-meat-off-of-human-bones* trouble.
Well, maybe not, but there could have been. Maybe. If we’d had a dire wolf instead of our own Mexican gray wolf.
The morning began at “oh-dark-thirty” (a curious expression that generally describes a time significantly later than your editor’s normal second cup of coffee) – 6:30 a.m. in this case. Park founder Roger Alink educated the volunteers on the issues associated with the roundup. Mr. Alink laid out the strategy, explained why we would all be carrying various objects, and detailed the methodology we would be using to guide the wolf into the pen they had prepared. Carrying various implements to make us more noticeable and less edible slightly less approachable, we were to go quietly, single-file southward along the west fence of the enclosure and then fan out along the southern boundary. From there, we would slowly and non-threateningly proceed toward the capture pen (this had been established at least a week before, and Nieta had been feeding in it), convincing the wolf that the path of least resistance would be to retreat into the capture pen. With a certain degree of difficulty due to the number of people, we worked our way into the wolf habitat and proceeded silently (other than the footsteps) along the western side of the enclosure, and began lining up along the southern boundary. And that is exactly where it all went horribly, horribly wrong.**
»» Wildlife Roundup Disaster: Wolf Pulls Gun, Dozens Injured
Almost Over, But Not ‘Till It’s Over
by John Weckerle
We are pressed for time this morning, as we are heading out to help with a wolf capture, but thought we’d draw some attention to the latest in the “lies and counterclaims” department. In this installment, a recent ad by Congressional hopeful John Barela slams incumbent Martin Heinrich for getting a million dollars for a bar in which he has held fundraisers. It turns out to be nonsense: O’Neill’s applied for, and got, an SBA loan, a process that took two years. Check out the full story at MSNBC.