Dana Blankenhorn

Habitualization

by Robin Blankenhorn

Habitualization is just a big fancy word for creating habits based on stimulation in your environment.

One of the best examples children learn is of a dog who, when he heard a bell would come running because he knew that the bell mean food. Zookeepers do this all the time to get their charges to do simple things that help with veterinary check ups.

Another example from my own life is train horns. I grew up in the same house all my life. This house is situated a little over 20 meters from the closest train tracks. All day and night there are trains coming and going.

The Problem with Pet Doors

by Robin Blankenhorn

Cat doors are a very interesting invention. Not only are they loved by many, they also cause problems.

An interesting historical fact about the cat door. Did you know that Sir Issac Newton took time out of his busy schedule to invent the cat door? It was something I wanted growing up, but now I know better.

As a child, I sometimes hated having to open the door to let the cats in. However, as an adult I now can laugh at some of the stories of the cats' intelligence when they wanted in. Knowing when and where to cry when they wanted in is the main one.

Not only that, we also have stories from our former next-door neighbor who had a cat door. Mostly involving our cats going into their home. Stealing slippers, eating their cats food, and even bringing in a dead bird.

There are many more unsavory stories as well. (Picture from the Humane Society.)

Recently in the UK, there have been stories of foxes terrorizing people in their own homes. Today I found one that talked about someone who actually watched the fox use the cat door to get in before going after their cat.

At the beginning of the summer, I meet an old friend of my dad's who lives in Texas and learned his story of a raccoon coming in and stealing a loaf of bread many years ago.

Those neighbors I mentioned earlier, one morning they woke to find that there was a burglar trying to open the back door by going through the cat door.

People Make Urban Wildlife Dangerous

by Robin Blankenhorn

Quick question, did you hear about the family in Michigan? The ones suing the state because they wanted to keep the deer that they raised from a fawn? The family who started a petition that received over 16,000 signatures so that they could keep their wild deer? Ever heard of that family?

Well I did, a month ago when the case was first going into court. I agreed with the state, not the family. Yes, the story is very heart-warming. A family takes in a baby fawn after its mother was killed by a car. They are somehow able to keep it alive for years and in the meantime fall in love. They even name it Lilly.

What they, and anyone who agrees with them, do not know is that humans are very poor substitutes for a mother the same species.

Did you know that deer eat plants that are toxic to them? In small doses and with other plants as well. Scientists have found that they actually do need these toxins for certain bodily functions. This information has only come to light in the past few years. Fawns only learn this information from their mothers. Obviously this family thinks that they are providing a good home for the deer, but they also made a decision to never let it lead a normal life.

They took that path a long time ago, well after the deer had turned two years old. At that point in deer biology, yearlings would be on their own, in their own territory, and getting ready to become mothers or fathers themselves.

Sorry for the rant. It just boggles my mind whenever I see stories like this. I do not get that feel good feeling that others might, nor do I agree with this sort of practice.

My View on Urban Wildlife

Think of this as Volume 17, Number 25 of the newsletter I have written weekly since March, 1997. Enjoy.

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For the last few weeks, and possibly for some time to come, my daughter Robin (right) has been treating us all to pieces on her chosen field of study, Urban Wildlife policy, and what to do about it.

Her interest was piqued by her studies at Texas A&M Kingsville, in range and wildlife studies, with an emphasis on wildlife.

She said her professors considered this a new field, an important field, but admitted there really aren't many jobs yet in the field because much of the fieldwork has not yet been done.

Here's what I think.

In Defense of Legal Hunting

by Robin Blankenhorn

Have you ever read an article that profiles hunters and wondered why they only want to have the trophies?

It is always interesting to me to read these news stories because they are some of the easiest for me to see the author putting their own spin on.

It becomes even more clear when you read the comment sections of these particular stories. All anyone talks about is why it is disgusting that hunters only go for the pretty or biggest deer and leave the meat. Today I read just such a story Excuse me while I laugh my head off at the ignorance in the world.

This is one of those rare instances where I can be thankful that I decided to go to a college in Texas. It seemed like every year when some hunting season came around I would have to be on the look-out for wet spots. Many of my fellow students and teachers would almost be salivating at the mere thought of hunting.

Not for the sport, but for the stories, camaraderie with friends, and more importantly the meat. I can not tell you how many different recipes I heard over the years but suffice to say they all sounded good.

Technology Advances Wildlife Science, Or What Observers Fail To See

by Robin Blankenhorn 

Have you ever read the heart warming stories of wild animals being returned to their natural habitat? I know I have, not only because they make me feel all warm inside, but it also helps to restore thoughts that humanity might still exist.

However next time you see a story like this, take the time to read the comments that others have posted. See a pattern? Almost every last one is about the collar now around the neck, or some bright tag that hangs on its ear like an earring.

Every time I see comments like this I know that those people did not take the time to either think about science or even the rules of hunting in that state.

One of the best examples that I ever saw was back in early April on the website DailyMail. 

Seven Pillars of Wildlife Management

 by Robin Blankenhorn

Whenever I read the online news site, The Wildlife News, I feel sometimes as if the whole wildlife system is falling apart at the seams.

There always seems to be stories about people finding carcasses of dead wildlife, how some are taking advantage of the system, or even what we are told is false. Reading stuff like this makes me wonder if it really was a good idea for me to even think about getting the degree that I got. Or even if I should continue on this career path that I have chosen. It took an hour long walk and much deep thought for me to realize that while those on that website probably know what they are talking about, the majority do not.

Like everything else in the country wildlife is governed by a set of rules, or rather principles. These are the guiding factors that influence and dictate what direction wildlife personnel will take. It is not long, nor is it hard to memorize, but they are there and if this is your field of choice you need to know them.

 

What is Urban Wildlife

by Robin Blankenhorn

Many of you are probably asking one of two questions right now, what is Urban Wildlife? Is it the same thing as Pest Control? To the first question it is exactly what it sounds like: wildlife that can be found in urban or city areas.

For the second question, personally I would say n o. Pest control deals with wildlife that has become a nuisance or a pest. In this instance we often think of raccoons or feral cats. Yet working with urban wildlife is completely different.

As a child I thought that I never really encountered wildlife unless I was outside of the city. As I grew older I figured out that I had encountered wildlife everyday of my life.

Animals that we consider to be staples of city life, yet were never meant to live here. They have just adapted to this life because it provides them with more protection than there natural habitats, and, more importantly for them, food. Some examples are squirrels, pigeons, and water fowl.

Squirrels originally lived in the trees of forests. Hiding from owls, hawks, and other birds of prey that would make meals out of them.

The pigeons that we see are descended from birds called Rock Doves, and are originally from the Middle East. While the geese, swans and ducks that we see in our parks have found that they are protected from their natural predators at the lakes inside our city parks.

More than that, we habituate them towards humans by giving them food and keeping them safe.