Date:         Mon, 23 Jun 2003 06:35:40 -0500
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Subject:      Re: Cats and Campers
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When traveling with cats or small dogs aerial predators can be a hazard
for the unprepared. And airborne attacks are most often unexpected with
the result being tragic.

In Alaska  there is a concentration of bald eagles every year on the
Homer Spit, at  Homer, Alaska on Kachemak Bay. The eagles are encouraged
by a feeding program that has been gong on there. Great for the tourons
but unexpected things happen. Tourons from all over the world gather to
see the eagles,  and on one occasion some years ago a couple emerged
from their camper to walk the dog. In this case it was a toy poodle and
it was allowed to run loose. The dog was running in front of the woman
as they strolled the beach and suddenly there was a whoosh as an eagle
snatched the pup and flew off with him. Needless to say, the folks were
stunned, and devastated, witnessing the event, and knowing their beloved
pup was being converted to Eagle poop!!

A young girl, an artisan in my ceramics studio in Soldotna, Alaska,
lived out the highway a bit from town. Her father was working on the car
out in the yard, and it was getting very late in the afternoon - near
dusk. The girl went out with a beer for her dad, taking her house cat -
actually a near grown kitten - with her, thinking to give the cat an
outing. She put the cat down for a moment, and of course the cat
proceded to explore, and got 10 or so yards from her. An owl swooped
down and nailed the kitten, the talons of the left foot going through
the animal just below the spine in the gut area. Father heard the
amnimal scream, heard the daughter scream, turned and flung a wrench at
the owl. The thing was 10 feet in the air but he managed to hit the owl
with the wrench, causing the owl drop the cat. The cat landed running
for the house. He survived the incident but never would leave the house
again.

If you travel with your animals, be prepared for the unexpected.
Domestic animals are definitely at risk at the edge of and in  the
wilds. They are just that - domestic - and have lost many of their
instincts and don't have the experience that enabled their kind to
survive in the wilds in the past.

Regards,

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver