Lions and bison and bears

"Shocking!" That is what someone said about the column last week where we talked about 650 murders per year in Detroit. Mentioned was the fact that other big cities vie annually with Detroit for establishing violent crime records and we all know that Washington D.C. is always near the top. Found some more surprising homicide figures this week. The Washington Post newspaper in December reported local crime labs (Medical Examiners) are running a backlog of 1,038 autopsies. Those amazing statistics include 84 homicides that are…more than a year old.

Maybe people in Montana who get upset over our state crime lab taking several weeks to get an autopsy report, should just relax.

Wild animals continue to be in the news. On Monday, the Federal Government told us there has been $181,000 of our tax monies spent on sending 800 bison to slaughterhouses this winter. About 50 others have been captured but not killed, and this is in the northern herd alone; not in other areas such as West Yellowstone, Wyoming and in Idaho. The story said the bison meat, heads, and hides are donated to American Indian tribes and to charities.

One problem here I see is the fact that there are still a couple thousand more bison in Yellowstone Park beyond the carrying capacity of the range. They are starving to death. To add to the problem there, it is only a few months until calving time when it appears the total population of the big beasts in the Park could go over 5,000…almost double when biologists feel is acceptable.

About 10 members of the Thursday Over the Hill Gang will be spending three days, 23rd through the 25th exploring the Yellowstone's northern herd's ranges out of Gardiner. Remember, that area has a surplus elk problem also and there are scattered mule deer, moose, and big horn sheep trying to find food in the Lamar Valley. This trip is an annual affair, which has turned mainly into "wolf watching." Will give a report upon our return.

While we are still on the subject of bison, the wonderful Missoulian column written by Brad Walterskirchen, a local boy, reminded us that they used to have herd control hunts on the National Bison Range. Chief hunter in those days long ago was Henry J. Helgeson, a Missoula butcher. The records show Helgeson died forty years age, but not before hunting on the Bison Range for 42 years. Brad says it was estimated at the time of Helgeson's death, he had shot 3,700 bison.

It has been told here in past years how I began my schooling at Camas Prairie on the Flathead Reservation where the Indian kids probably outnumbered the whites. Camas Prairie is near the Bison Range and the government furnished bison meat for daily hot lunches. Somewhere in that first year of school, little George developed a dislike for American buffalo burgers, and that remains unchanged after 71 years.

Other wild animals in the news include bears and lions.

Regarding the newsworthy lion, it was shot by a hunter in the Judith Mountains near Lewistown December 31st. That big cat was caught and decorated with a radio collar on February 25th, 2003 in the Black Hills of South Dakota. From the place it was shot to where it was collared is 450 miles. The big kitty averaged 150 miles further from home each year but considering the way those panthers wander around looking for food, I'll bet he easily covered fifteen thousand miles. That lion was one of 65 collared to determine dispersal patterns from the Black Hills. Another one of those was found in Oklahoma.

The lion story did not say if any of the Black Hills cats went to North Dakota but knowing how intelligent those animals are…I would doubt it.

Could a frisky black bear cause a MILLION dollars worth of damage to vacation homes and residences? That's what California wardens said about a 500-pound male. He operated in a five square mile area around Tahoe City. The warden said, "He knew he was a criminal and would speed away if he heard a car." A caretaker shot the lively bruin after the lady owner of a house got a permit. She said the bear turned on a faucet flooding the kitchen and destroyed woodwork on the floor and cupboards. Other homeowners said he caused fires by turning on stovetop burners. Warden Patrick Foy said his department believes the bear was responsible for most of the 150 break-ins in that area since 2004, "I do think this bear caused more damage than any other bear in United States history."

If it will help anyone feel better about the bear being shot, know that his last meal was in a magnificent house on the north shore of Lake Tahoe and included a tasty dessert…a large package of lollipops.