Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Wednesday 1 February

Brutal western U.S. winter has been terrible for animals

ANDREW SELSKY heavier than normal snow- right mix of crude protein,
Associated Press fall buried the natural for- fat, carbohydrates, vita-
Antelope injured while fall- age the thousands of elk mins and minerals.”
ing on ice. Horses stranded graze on at the 24,700-acre The deep snow likely
in snowy mountains. Cou- refuge. caused a group of normal-
gars descending from their Mule deer, which are ly elusive cougars to come
wilderness lairs to forage in smaller than elk, have not to the woodsy community
a town. only been prevented by a of La Pine in recent days,
It’s been a beastly winter layer of ice from pawing where they preyed on pets
in the American West, not through powdery snow to and chickens, the Oregon
just for people but for ani- reach their natural forage, wildlife department said.
mals too. One storm after but that ice also makes Authorities on Thursday
another has buried much them easier prey. The deer killed a fifth cougar in the
of the region in snow, and break through the ice and central Oregon town. Four
temperatures have often stumble while animals like others were shot dead on
stayed below freezing, en- coyotes can stay on top of Saturday and Monday,
dangering a rich diversity the surface. raising an outcry among
of wild animals. “With conditions that we some conservationists.
In southern Idaho, about In this Jan. 18, 2017, photo provided by the Oregon Department have, we do anticipate Amid the grim news, there
500 pronghorn antelope of Fish and Wildlife, elk feed at the Wenaha Wildlife Area near higher mule deer mortal- were some bright spots.
tried to cross the frozen Troy, Ore. ity,” Myatt said. It was flown, dangling from
Snake River earlier this Associated Press John Stephenson of the the belly of the chopper to
month at Lake Walcott, but scaping shrub that’s toxic. because of the snow, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- safety. A second stranded
part of the herd spooked Tough winter conditions workers must still get to the vice said wolves are also horse was not found and is
and ran onto a slick spot have forced some wildlife rural feeding stations where more agile in deep snow believed to have died.
where they slipped and to feed on the plant in ur- they feed the elk alfalfa than deer or elk because The experience was emo-
fell. Idaho Fish and Game ban areas. hay. “When you run feed their lighter bodies and big tional for the rescuers.
workers rescued six of the Heavy snow has forced programs, you can’t take feet help them stay on the “You get your adrenaline
stranded pronghorn, but 10 Idaho’s fish and game de- a day off because of bad surface better. Stephen- going and everyone gets
were killed by coyotes and partment to begin emer- weather. If you take a day son said he is amazed that all excited and choked
20 had to be euthanized gency feeding of big game off, the elk wander away,” a wolf he’s tracking south up,” Robert Bruno, presi-
because of injuries suffered animals in southern Idaho. said Nick Myatt, district of Crater Lake, Oregon, dent of Idaho Horse Res-
when they fell down. In eastern Oregon, state manager of La Grande of- traveled roughly 30 miles cue, told KTVB-TV of Boise.
Another 50 pronghorn wildlife officials are feed- fice of the Oregon Depart- through 6-foot-deep snow In California, some of the
were found dead in the ing elk, but the weather ment of Fish and Wildlife. in less than 12 hours recent- heaviest snow and rain in
small western Idaho city of makes accessing them dif- Wandering elk tend to feed ly. decades should prove a
Payette after they nibbled ficult. When highways and on haystacks that ranchers Some animal lovers have life-saver for threatened
on Japanese yew, a land- the Interstate are closed have left for their cattle, been taking matters into native salmon, whose num-
and congregate in low-ele- their own hands by feeding bers have dropped dur-
vation sites along Interstate deer, but experts warn they ing the state’s five-year
84 in northeastern Oregon, will likely do more harm drought that is now easing.
where cars have hit them in than good and could end Flooding this winter has
recent weeks, Myatt said. up killing the animals. greatly expanded the bug-
In western Wyoming, sup- “What they’re feeding rich wetlands where young
plemental feeding of elk the deer is an improper salmon can eat and grow
wintering on the National diet,” said Rick Hargrave, a strong on their way to the
Elk Refuge near Jackson spokesman for the Oregon ocean, said John McMa-
started the first week of wildlife department. “They nus of the Golden Gate
January, three weeks ear- have a complex digestive Salmon Association, a fish-
lier than usual because tract, and they require the ing-industry group.q