Keci news, long day for the kids, burials, and the threat looms in our yard.

Yesterday, the cougars were brave.  Our neighbor, Beard, checked or trap at 6:30, on his way to work, and no cat, nothing touched.  The dogs went crazy around 7 we really didn't think anything of it, Lady Jay, kept growling out of character, but since they had been confined we kind of passed it off.  Poppie checked the trap around 8, to feed the animals, a little bit of the straw had been pawed away and a little bit eaten off the hindquarter, no cougar.  He checked the does and went to check the bucks.  He was meant with horror.  Rommy looked alive is a setting position, but his head was ran into the fence, throat mauled, hindquarter eaten.  Boaz and Lamb chops killed and not touched.  So we have a Cougar, possible a set of twins about two from the female killed last year.  They may have not been trained right when she died, normally they don't kill just to kill, this one or two is killing to kill, the worst kind of animal. The loss of these three were heart breaking, all were Yogies animals. I think the loss of an animal to a wild animal for food it sort of acceptable but not when it is carnage. The cougar's had also killed a chicken in my yard, the blood went from under my window across a trail they are making between the house and the kids pool. No wonder Lady Jay was going crazy. Our kids are endanger and have to spend the foreseeable future in the house or with adult supervision. The cougar is killing in the day light. I just wish the animal advocates had to live with this continuing yearly attack, they tell you the animals only take what they need, and don't stalk people or homes. I am here to tell you not in my neighborhood.

  We had emailed the local news the day before the FWP contacted us, DC had called her friend that works for them as well. Poppie got a call from the trapper about the media, he said we had contacted them.  We told them we had.  The KECI people came http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcmontana.com%2F&h=6AQDuxn17 and interviewed Poppie.  The trapper was not happy as because the media was now involved, he had to change his traps.  I think he should have told us that in the first place, but obviously the first approach didn't work, I have 6 hundred dollars worth of dead animals on the ground to bury. We now have to lock Caesar in the horse trailer at night. He was so scared when Poppie found him with three dead friends at his feet. We advised all the neighbors so all the animals can be confined at night and watch in the daytime.  Shinny said they had just had a newborn calf, so they will have to be diligent.  They confined their goats.  Beard helped Poppie in the yard check out trails, he is worried as well, his goat was killed too.  Sad when it is the middle of summer and all our kids should be having fun and enjoying their innocence; our neighborhood is under seige and unsafe.

I hope today brings a better outcome, Poppie has check the new trap this morning, no cougar, the trapper pulled the open traps and put a big cage trap, he says he doesn't want attack from the animal rights people so that is all he can use now.  He would be in trouble for cruelty to animals with the open face traps.  So where do our rights come in, they worry more about being harassed than catching a killer in our neighborhood, some how this is just not fair. The animals have more rights than we do. Then they wonder why so many Montanans believe in the three S's. ( Shoot, shovel and shut up. )  We don't own a gun, borrowed one from Bug, it is time we bought one, we are to the point of being forced to protect ourselves, we have asked for it legally and the right way. We have asked for help but no helps seems to come, the local game warden didn't even come to the house, or they are afraid of what the animal right people want if they do come.  No wonder poaching is alive and well in Montana.  It is a sad time to live in.... tomorrow.