Mountain Lion Killed South of Tucson

The Arizona Game & Fish Department (AZGF) killed a female mountain lion in the Coronado National Forest (CNF) near Madera Canyon, south of Tucson, on October 26. The day before the lion reportedly aggressively stalked a hiker and his dog. The Animal Defense League of Arizona is in contact with AZGF and has attempted to reach the CNF. We will continue to follow-up, and update you on new information.

Here's what we know. The lion was a female of normal weight and health. She was not rabid. She had scars on her neck. The University of Arizona Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory has conducted a necropsy. AZGF applied its Protocol aka AZGFD Action Plan for Minimizing and Responding to Lion/Human Interactions. That was officially adopted in 2005, after the bungling of some poorly documented lion sightings in Sabino Canyon by CNF and AZGF.

AZGF has learned a lot from its mistakes. First, it held extensive public meetings in 2004 after Tucson expressed outrage at the agencies' actions and statements. Second, it developed a reasonable (although certainly not perfect) policy in the Protocol. Third, it has actually followed the Protocol. The bonus is that Gerry Perry the former head of the Tucson regional office retired. His replacement is Leonard Ordway, a long time AZGF employee. Ordway is certainly an "old school" wildlife manager in many ways. However, he has integrity and is responsive. Moreover, he is a biologist and will listen to suggestions made with data to back them up. Tucsonans should take the opportunity to get to know Ordway, and give him the benefit of the doubt.

On the other hand, the CNF is a complete disappointment. Its spokesperson continues to spread the myth that lions have a "natural fear" of people. They don't. Let me set the record straight. There is no scientific evidence that mountain lions have a natural fear of people. To the contrary, a study by Linda Sweanor indicated that mountain lions have no natural fear of people. It's very sad that a lay volunteer with an animal protection group knows more about the natural history of lions than the agency that manages the land where lions live, but that's the state of affairs in Arizona- at least at the CNF.

Update on Prairie Dog Reintroduction

Here's an update on the prairie dog colony from volunteer Landon Vincent :

“I just wanted to write with a bit of an update on the black-tailed prairie dogs down in Las Cienegas. Last week I camped out spending four straight days monitoring the colony. Every hour (of daylight) we would do a visibility count and compare that with previously known percentage ranges for what's been observed in healthy colonies elsewhere and our colony seemed to be doing really well. Our counts were right within the expected range, depending a bit on the weather. During windy days we saw a few less, but I guess that's understandable when they rely upon scent and sound for defense. The dogs were really active at already building their own natural burrows as well as exploring up the far hillside.”

The Tucson Citizen has an article on the prairie dog release: and AZ Game & Fish has posted an article . And check out our slideshow on the release . It takes awhile to load – wait until the control panel shows up on the right corner of the screen.

AZ Game & Fish needs volunteers over the next three months to monitor the prairie dog colony. If you can help please contact us.

Thanks to Landon for the update and to all of the volunteers for their efforts to return this keystone species to its home in Arizona!

Karen Michael

Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project Party

Here are some pictures from the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project's Wolf Without Borders Party in Flagstaff on October 18. Congratulations to Project Director Paula Lewis and all the hard-working volunteers. It was a great party for a great cause. To learn more visit the ADLA website and go to GCWRP link.

Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs Back in Arizona

Big news for Arizona's wildlife and grassland habitats in southeast Arizona. After 50 years of extirpation, black-tailed prairie dogs were reintroduced in Arizona this week. So many groups supported this effort, including Animal Defense League of Arizona (see October 4 Blog).
In an e-mail message, Bill Van Pelt, Grassland Coordinator of Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies said

I am pretty confident this will not be a lead story on the front page of any newspaper. Today [October 7], at 11:17 a.m. after nearly 50 years absence on the Arizona landscape, 73 black-tailed prairie dogs were placed in release cages on the Las Cienegas Grasslands near Sonoita, Arizona. This has been a project in the making since 1965, when the first discussions about re-establishing this species began in Arizona. While part of the success story today is the return of the prairie dog, the other part is the number individuals, and entities working together for grassland conservation...

Bill may be right, but this is front page news for Animal Defense League of Arizona!

Prairie Dog Reintroduction

Last weekend Animal Defense League of Arizona volunteers helped the AZ Game & Fish Dept. with constructing release pens and nesting chambers for black-tailed prairie dogs, which will be reintroduced in southern Arizona.
The job was finished earlier than expected, thanks to hard-working volunteers who drilled, dug, and cut weeds around the tunnels.

Thanks to everyone that volunteered on the black-tailed prairie dog reintroduction project. It’s exciting to see this keystone species being returned to its rightful place.

ADLA is a member of the Prairie Dog Coalition. Visit the website for more information on these remarkable animals.

(Photo: Volunteers Landon Vincent and Darlene Handley)

Requiem for Bentley

I didn't know Bentley, but I was there when he died. There was a group of us there, but Bentley is the only name I know.

I believe Bentley was a good dog who had a good life with a family that loved him. While his death was a sad thing, the fact that a group of strangers came to his aid gives me hope.

I was eastbound on Peoria Avenue in Glendale, Arizona. The car in front of me stopped. I didn't know why until he pulled into the next lane, and I saw Bentley injured in the street. Apparently he had been hit by a car. The driver who hit him didn't stop, but other people did and, in the process, showed a lot of compassion.

One woman stood out. I stopped my car behind Bentley so no other cars would hit him. The woman put Bentley's head in her lap, and petted and comforted him. I got a sheet and a man held it up to shade Bentley. His wife managed to corral Bentley's dog friends who were across the street barking and distressed. She managed to get them back in their yard. We also called 911. They in-turn called Glendale Fire Department and the Arizona Humane Society and one of its Emergency Animal Medical Technician (EAMT) units.

Bentley died in the arms of the wonderful woman whose name I don't know. We were both petting him when he died. I truly believe she made Bentley's death better for him. He had some comfort and the love of a complete stranger as he passed. After he died we moved him out of the street. A man came-up and said "That's my dog." He was obviously sad, but calm. Apparently his dogs had gotten out of the yard while he was away. He told us he wanted to take Bentley home, so we helped wrap Bentley in the sheet and he headed across the street to go home.

A Glendale Police Officer pulled-up, and asked if I'd seen what happened. I said "No, but I wish I had." He gave me his card, and I left.

The woman said she wished that she could have saved Bentley or gotten him to hang-on. But I think she gave him a peaceful death. Everyone there, including the City of Glendale Fire and Police Department, gave him something else. Respect. They treated him like an individual who was scared and fatally injured in the street. That's no small thing, but that's what Bentley deserved. That's what all animals deserve.

ADLA Quarterly Meeting 9-14-08

Thanks to everyone who came to the meeting about the "Plight of Pit Bulls." Here's the set-up crew.