Post by BodySnatcher on May 15, 2014 11:04:52 GMT -8
The “Feral Animal” problem is over looked in most if not all survival plans. Whether it be a Financial Collapse, Coronal Mass Ejection \ EMP, Pandemic, Massive Earthquake, Severe Storm, and etc. What will happen when people can no longer care for the family pet or that “exotic” reptile breaks free from its cage during a colapse?
A feral animal is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. The dictionary definition states that “feral” means existing in a wild or untamed state; having returned to an untamed state from domestication; of or suggestive of a wild animal; savage. Some common examples of feral animals are horses, dogs, cats, pigs (hogs), reptiles (snakes), goat, cattle, birds (parrots, chickens), donkey, rabbit, and miscellaneous rodents. I am sure I have missed several other pets or domesticated animals that have the potential of turning feral.
To exaggerate the threat feral animals pose here is an example to wrap your head around. Feral cats or feral cat colonies; they can be found in either rural or urban areas. Feral cats are prolific breeders, they are elusive and do not trust humans. How prolific you ask? Feral cats can begin breeding at six months of age and have an average of one point four (1.4) litters per year, with an average three point five (3.5) live births in each litter. That equals five (5) kittens per year, per female feral cat. Indeed, a pair of breeding cats and their offspring can produce four-hundred and twenty (420,000) thousand kittens over a seven-year period. Of the approximately one hundred forty-six (146) million cats in the United States, about half are feral. Every day, ten-thousand (10,000) humans are born in the United States, while seventy-thousand (70,000) kittens and puppies are born in that same period of time. More than thirty-five thousand (35,000) of these critters are born feral.
Rats and mice will put the prolific breeding of feral cats to shame. Here is the skinny on Rodents. Rats can reach sexual maturity at five (5) weeks of age. Rats do not recognize incest, so brothers and sisters and even mothers and sons may reproduce. Rats do not have a breeding season, although very hot or cold temperatures will reduce breeding. Females of breeding age come into heat - - Fertile, ready to breed - - all year round, every four (4) to five (5) days, unless they are pregnant or nursing. Rats have large litters, on average eight (8) to twelve (12) pups per litter. The baby rat (pup) is weaned at four (4) to five (5) weeks and is ready to begin breeding. This should bring some pretty disgusting images to mind -- Let me just say, “Willard” (1971 horror movie) or “Ben” (the big brown king of rats). Okay, so the movies were corny, but imagine colonies of rats searching for food attacking in mass – pretty scary, huh?
If you pay attention to the news media there will be very few days that will go by that you do not hear about a feral dog attack on humans, domestic animals or livestock. A survey by the National Agricultural Statistics Service in 1999 found that feral dogs were partly responsible for killing cows, sheep and goats worth about thirty-seven (37) million dollars (U. S.). Tens of thousands of unwanted dogs are overrunning low-income, high-crime neighborhoods in cities like Los Angeles, St. Louis, New York, Santa Fe, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. Moreover, the problem is only going to get worse. Animal control agencies and humane societies currently do not want to deal with this feral problem because it is just too overwhelming and expensive to do so. The question is, how are you going to handle a feral dog on the attack that is capable of killing large animals, livestock, or members of your family?
Without going too deep into this next subject, I would like to mention the problem with Zoo animals that have escaped captivity during and after disasters. Often these wild animals either break out of their enclosures to freedom or are lucky enough to find an open cage door; in 1998, The Dallas Zoo had a chimpanzee escaped and in 2000 a gorilla escaped (can you say, “Planet of the Apes”). Jabari, a three-hundred pound mountain gorilla, evaded Zookeepers for nearly an hour after escaping his enclosure. At the Los Angeles Zoo, a twenty-nine year old orangutan broke through his netted enclosure provoking a complete evacuation of the area while Zookeepers searched for him. At the Monarto Zoo in Australia, a sex-crazed rhino, Satara, escaped his pen to search for his mate. While zookeepers stated that the public was not in danger, a helicopter had to be used to assist in returning the tranquilized hefty rhino to his cage. Without these resources, who knows what would have happened. At the San Francisco Zoo a Siberian Tiger, Tatiana, escaped from her enclosure and mauled two young men. At the Garden Brothers Circus, two elephants, Susie and Bunny escaped while on tour in Canada.
For the cherry on top, in 2011 forty-nine wild animals, including Bengal tigers, lions, bears and monkeys were released from their enclosures in Zanesville, Ohio. When Sheriff’s Deputies arrived at the wild animal preserve, they saw several ferocious animals off in the distance wandering away, headed for Suburbia. Local, state and federal agencies responded to the release of eighteen Bengal tigers, seventeen lions, six black bears, a pair of grizzlies, three mountain lions, two wolves, a baboon “and a Partridge in a Pear tree.” Only by chance or happenstance did a grizzly bear, three leopards and two monkeys remain in their unlocked cages. The suburban \ urban area was placed on lockdown for public safety.
Think back to the Rodent problem I mentioned earlier. There is a larger concern many people do not think about, Plague! The reason I bring the word “Plague” into this conversation is to let you know that these small animals, insects and transients (aka homeless), most often carry the plague. The transmission of plague to humans is most often via fleas. Bubonic plague, typhus, smallpox, yellow fever, influenza, scarlet fever, malaria, diphtheria, and poliomyelitis are some infectious diseases that have resulted in epidemic or pandemic outbreaks throughout history. Addressing this issue in advance could save you, your team or a family member from a devastating disease that is more difficult to destroy than hordes of cats, rats, and other animals.
Sorry to be long winded but what have you done to plan for these threats? Why don’t we share? I have a plan.
A feral animal is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. The dictionary definition states that “feral” means existing in a wild or untamed state; having returned to an untamed state from domestication; of or suggestive of a wild animal; savage. Some common examples of feral animals are horses, dogs, cats, pigs (hogs), reptiles (snakes), goat, cattle, birds (parrots, chickens), donkey, rabbit, and miscellaneous rodents. I am sure I have missed several other pets or domesticated animals that have the potential of turning feral.
To exaggerate the threat feral animals pose here is an example to wrap your head around. Feral cats or feral cat colonies; they can be found in either rural or urban areas. Feral cats are prolific breeders, they are elusive and do not trust humans. How prolific you ask? Feral cats can begin breeding at six months of age and have an average of one point four (1.4) litters per year, with an average three point five (3.5) live births in each litter. That equals five (5) kittens per year, per female feral cat. Indeed, a pair of breeding cats and their offspring can produce four-hundred and twenty (420,000) thousand kittens over a seven-year period. Of the approximately one hundred forty-six (146) million cats in the United States, about half are feral. Every day, ten-thousand (10,000) humans are born in the United States, while seventy-thousand (70,000) kittens and puppies are born in that same period of time. More than thirty-five thousand (35,000) of these critters are born feral.
Rats and mice will put the prolific breeding of feral cats to shame. Here is the skinny on Rodents. Rats can reach sexual maturity at five (5) weeks of age. Rats do not recognize incest, so brothers and sisters and even mothers and sons may reproduce. Rats do not have a breeding season, although very hot or cold temperatures will reduce breeding. Females of breeding age come into heat - - Fertile, ready to breed - - all year round, every four (4) to five (5) days, unless they are pregnant or nursing. Rats have large litters, on average eight (8) to twelve (12) pups per litter. The baby rat (pup) is weaned at four (4) to five (5) weeks and is ready to begin breeding. This should bring some pretty disgusting images to mind -- Let me just say, “Willard” (1971 horror movie) or “Ben” (the big brown king of rats). Okay, so the movies were corny, but imagine colonies of rats searching for food attacking in mass – pretty scary, huh?
If you pay attention to the news media there will be very few days that will go by that you do not hear about a feral dog attack on humans, domestic animals or livestock. A survey by the National Agricultural Statistics Service in 1999 found that feral dogs were partly responsible for killing cows, sheep and goats worth about thirty-seven (37) million dollars (U. S.). Tens of thousands of unwanted dogs are overrunning low-income, high-crime neighborhoods in cities like Los Angeles, St. Louis, New York, Santa Fe, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. Moreover, the problem is only going to get worse. Animal control agencies and humane societies currently do not want to deal with this feral problem because it is just too overwhelming and expensive to do so. The question is, how are you going to handle a feral dog on the attack that is capable of killing large animals, livestock, or members of your family?
Without going too deep into this next subject, I would like to mention the problem with Zoo animals that have escaped captivity during and after disasters. Often these wild animals either break out of their enclosures to freedom or are lucky enough to find an open cage door; in 1998, The Dallas Zoo had a chimpanzee escaped and in 2000 a gorilla escaped (can you say, “Planet of the Apes”). Jabari, a three-hundred pound mountain gorilla, evaded Zookeepers for nearly an hour after escaping his enclosure. At the Los Angeles Zoo, a twenty-nine year old orangutan broke through his netted enclosure provoking a complete evacuation of the area while Zookeepers searched for him. At the Monarto Zoo in Australia, a sex-crazed rhino, Satara, escaped his pen to search for his mate. While zookeepers stated that the public was not in danger, a helicopter had to be used to assist in returning the tranquilized hefty rhino to his cage. Without these resources, who knows what would have happened. At the San Francisco Zoo a Siberian Tiger, Tatiana, escaped from her enclosure and mauled two young men. At the Garden Brothers Circus, two elephants, Susie and Bunny escaped while on tour in Canada.
For the cherry on top, in 2011 forty-nine wild animals, including Bengal tigers, lions, bears and monkeys were released from their enclosures in Zanesville, Ohio. When Sheriff’s Deputies arrived at the wild animal preserve, they saw several ferocious animals off in the distance wandering away, headed for Suburbia. Local, state and federal agencies responded to the release of eighteen Bengal tigers, seventeen lions, six black bears, a pair of grizzlies, three mountain lions, two wolves, a baboon “and a Partridge in a Pear tree.” Only by chance or happenstance did a grizzly bear, three leopards and two monkeys remain in their unlocked cages. The suburban \ urban area was placed on lockdown for public safety.
Think back to the Rodent problem I mentioned earlier. There is a larger concern many people do not think about, Plague! The reason I bring the word “Plague” into this conversation is to let you know that these small animals, insects and transients (aka homeless), most often carry the plague. The transmission of plague to humans is most often via fleas. Bubonic plague, typhus, smallpox, yellow fever, influenza, scarlet fever, malaria, diphtheria, and poliomyelitis are some infectious diseases that have resulted in epidemic or pandemic outbreaks throughout history. Addressing this issue in advance could save you, your team or a family member from a devastating disease that is more difficult to destroy than hordes of cats, rats, and other animals.
Sorry to be long winded but what have you done to plan for these threats? Why don’t we share? I have a plan.