10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2012

Sorry for banging on about black-footed ferrets, but here’s a bit on why this trip was so special to me: Forty years ago the black-footed ferret was a bit more like the Loch Ness Monster than it is today. By the time everyone came to an agreement that the black-footed ferret existed, it was already getting scarce.

Ferrets 192

Ferrets South Dakota Wyoming Captive Animal 192

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 16, 2012

I had noted that if you took a quick look around you’d think there were a lot of birds and very few mammals. Of course, a lot of the mammals would be hiding. Other felids are all much larger, the similar sized carnivores are things like minks and ferrets, and they have very different habits. These cats come along with farms.

Cats 189

Cats Boston Ferrets Killing 189

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

There were no mammals, little game, and not many birds either. Blackbirds and Song Thrushes were also problematic for fruit growers, but it was rabbits that quickly became enemy number one for the fledgling colony, as they striped the ground bare in farm after farm. Part of the world they wanted to transport was natural.

New Zealand 162

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2012

New Zealand has been the recipient of a higher than average number of introduced species, in particular a range of mammals from elk to mice. This is quite a big deal for an island group that had no mammals save bats for millions of years. The principal poison used in New Zealand its sodium flouroacetate , commonly known as 1080.

Animal Rights 267

Animal Rights Rights New Zealand Animal 267