Tag Archives: dogs

Jack Rabbit

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2016-03-04Jackrabbit7079

Lots of people don’t know jack about rabbits. If you ask these people about rabbits, like, “So What do you know about rabbits?” many of them will simply say I don’t know jack and walk away. But there is a lot to know about rabbits. Much more than say, aardvarks or 3 toed sloths or even dogs and cats, of which very much is known.

Rabbits have played a huge part in history down through the ages. Take for instance the Easter bunny. There is a bunch of weird but strange facts about how a rabbit and especially one that lays chocolate covered Easter eggs in a basket full of fake green grass made of green cellophane, came to be the head of a multi-gazillion dollar marketing campaign that has spread around the world.

For instance how is the succession of rabbits chosen to be the one true Easter rabbit amongst all the rabbits of the world. How does that work? There are a freaking huge amount of rabbits in virtually every country on the globe, how do they choose that one that will be the head of the rabbit world for the rest of his life. The Head Rabbit that hands down decrees, visits poor children and homeless rabbits around the world, makes decisions and choices which will affect faithful rabbits everywhere, and gets to wear neat Easter rabbit clothes and live in a colossal warren where he is the Big Clover forever.

To answer that we went to the source, which is Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming. Wyoming is like Rome to rabbits, and Hutton lake is like the Vatican. This is where anything of importance to rabbits spiritual lives happens. Special envoys are sent from rabbit colonies all around the world to be part of the organization that handles rabbit doctrine. And the single biggest, most important part of their rabbit lives is when an Easter bunny dies and a new one must be chosen.

After the mourning period is over the rest of the rabbits get down to the critical business of selecting the new Easter rabbit. First among equals of each delegation are chosen, then those most important of rabbits are locked in a big cage together and cannot leave until they have unanimously chosen the new Easter rabbit. This can be an extremely contentious time with much un-rabbit like discussion and occasional ear pulling, and the occasional well placed thump from an extra large hind foot. Each delegation has an interest in the new Easter rabbit, as this gives much prestige to their colonies back home but more importantly allows their regional viewpoints to be heard and hopefully implemented.

Each day is spent in reflection, discussions, maneuvering, imploring, deal making, whatever it takes to come to a consensus. At the end of each day a vote is taken and if there is no unanimous decision amongst them the rabbits burn a sage brush treated to produce black smoke. This means no new Easter rabbit was chosen. The next day they repeat the process until they finally come to a unanimous decision on which of them will become the new Easter rabbit. When the decision is made they burn some sage treated to create white smoke and the multitudes of rabbits waiting impatiently for the newest Easter rabbit to be chosen, let out squeaks and cries of ecstasy and joy that can be heard for miles. In fact it can be heard around the world as news travels at the speed of light and informs the faithful that there is a new Easter rabbit.

Within days the factories crank up production of chocolate facsimiles of the new Easter Rabbit, chocolate covered Easter eggs are flying off the assembly line, tons and tons of fake green grass is produced and marshmallow chicks and rabbits are quickly packaged and loaded onto 18 wheelers for delivery to big box stores around the country. The Easter business is back in business.

Meanwhile back at Hutton lake the conclave of important rabbits has disassembled and gone back to the business at hand of running one of the biggest groups of mammals on the planet. It won’t belong until we see the fruits of their labors as Easter is just around the corner. Hopefully there will be enough chocolate covered everything to go around. If this new Easter bunny has his way there will be. And that’s a good thing.

Time To Smell The Leaves

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SmellLeaves3144

When bears first wake up they are very, very hungry. They haven’t eaten since way last fall and they have to get something in their stomachs like right now. If it can be chewed they will attempt to eat it. Grass, old semi-used carcasses, any footprints in the dirt if some one walked by carrying something edible, peanut butter, nuts and/or berries, pizza, knapsacks with food in them, Chinese food either take out or eat in, gluten-free stuff, stuff with extra gluten, French food, cereal of any variety, tires that have run over roadkill, chili, chili dogs, dogs, manioc, coconut and coconut byproducts, leaves, buds, disgusting stuff that can’t even be written down, cook books, quarter pounders, quarter pounders with cheese, and lard. All of this and more is on the menu when the bear first wakes up.

So they go forth and ravenously eat anything that is remotely edible until they finally fill up that spot that says “I’m starving. Feed me.” After that happens they begin to become a little more selective in what they eat. Some even become connoisseurs and quite sophisticated gourmets, choosing only the choicest of the new offerings provided them by Mother Nature. Here we see Ms. Eula Ndego Jones, a new resident of Yellowstone National park, having come down from the famine stricken wastes of southern Saskatchewan through Montana and finally reaching the park just as the new leaves are unfurling. She carefully inhales the aroma of the young leaves before choosing the most delectable ones to eat. A few weeks ago she would have eaten the leaves, the bush and all its branches, plus about a pound and a half of the dirt around it.

But now, having regained some of the weight she lost through her long hibernation, she is being quite choosy about what she eats, taking delicate little bites from this bush and that, enjoying the moment, slowing down her intake just a little while she enjoys the warm spring sunshine. This is a time to enjoy the coming of the new season. It won’t be long before the elk start having their young and the calf selection will be at its premium, if the winter kill wasn’t too severe amongst the herds that is. But if it was then the carcasses will be plentiful and that will make living a lot easier. And there will be all those young ground squirrels that haven’t learned burrow safety yet so life is looking pretty good right now.

Spring is a time of rejuvenation and the animals here in Yellowstone have learned how to take advantage of it. I think we could all take a lesson from them about slowing down a little and savoring the moments of this time of year, after all Spring doesn’t last that long. I think we can forego the old carcasses and young ground squirrels though but those leaves might be nice in a salad with a few Fava beans and a nice Chianti.

Vigilance

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Vigilance1020

Wild turkeys live in out here in Northern Colorado and are regularly seen as you travel about in our rural settings. In the spring there will be large flocks with many hens and numerous chicks. It is not unusual to see flocks with as many as three or four dozen birds in them. That’s in the spring, right after the hatch, and before they begin moving around too much. Then nature begins to make adjustments. Coyotes are probably the turkeys biggest threat as they can easily run down the chicks who aren’t able to fly well, if at all. Sometimes the chicks will be taken by hawks or owls but mostly it is coyotes who are the main predators and sometimes unfortunately, by dogs running loose. This picture was taken in mid-August and though the large flocks of spring have by now broken up into smaller groups, there is only one chick left in this brood. If this chick is to make it to an age where she can have chicks of her own, every step she or the rest of the flock takes must be taken with caution and they will have to exercise one of their most important skills, Vigilance.