Agencies

Tribute to Mishka, RIP Washington’s First Karelian Bear Dog

Posted: by Darrell Smith

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s First Karelian Bear Dog has Passed… This Is His Story.

 

      

Bruce Richards and Mishka Upon Their Retirement in 2015

In Bruce’s own words:

On December 27th, the old black and white KBD Mishka passed away lying beside my bed as I slept. I never heard a sound that night, so whatever peacefully passing is, I believe Mishka experienced it. I guess as far as leaving a legacy, he left one that few animals could surpass. He was the first KBD in the United States to work with a Fish/Wildlife Officer, he basically started the first real dog program in the WDFW, and along with the other Washington KBD’s was seen throughout the US and other countries on TV by millions of viewers. For whatever reason, I was glad that Mishka and Cash passed in the same year. It just felt right. Biologist Rocky Spencer, Officer Mike Krenz, and I basically started the first cougar research in the State, and we found the one major missing ingredient was dogs on hand. I started using a yellow lab, and then Rocky brought in Mishka as a puppy. The two dogs worked a number of cougar and bear together, and then Rocky started using Mishka to work different aspects of a cougar project. Rocky was killed net-gunning bighorn sheep (for research) in the Yakima Canyon in 2007, and Mishka was assigned to me, to work a pilot program for a year to see if the dogs could be useful as an enforcement tool. I already knew the answer, having watched canines in combat and enforcement, so my wife and I took on the life of Mishka, the black and white Tasmanian devil.

At the risk of boring everyone, I would enjoy telling some “Mishka” stories….
The year that Rocky died, and the dog came to me, I heard talk about a big bull elk poached in the Olympic National Park through WDFW Officer Brian Alexander. Brian had hiked into the national park with several park rangers several times to try to find evidence to convict their suspect. I told Brian that I’d walk into the park with him with Mishka, because Rocky and Brian Kertson had used him to find winter cougar kills (remains of deer, elk, raccoons, etc.) in the summer, and Mish had become good at finding these remains. Because of snow, we would have to go into the Park the next summer, 11 months after the elk had been poached. I was told the Olympic NPS had done grid searches the year before, 600 man-hours, and never found any elk remains, so as we finally arrived at the ridge top and I put the dog’s working harness on, I was not confident at all about finding anything. The Park ranger, Brian, and I all split up to work the downward slope of a very steep knife-ridge, and I was even more discouraged as I observed the incredibly rough country we were searching. After only 15 minutes, I looked up to see Mishka digging through some winter debris on a rocky slope, when suddenly the dog reached down, grabbed something with his teeth, and then purposely ran down past me to show off. As he went by me, I was sure I saw the neck bone of an elk. I yelled for Brian and told him “I think Mishka just ran by me with an elk bone”. I scrambled up to that spot, dug down myself, and found two more pieces of neck bone, all bleach white, one having been cut through with a saw. Brian later commented to me that “his heart leapt from his chest” hearing about the bone. I guessed he was tired of walking into this very tough country with no results. Brian later found a small bone and called the dog over to check the bone out. Mishka basically ignored him, went down below him several yards, dug down through about 2 feet of winter debris, and came up with another neck piece of the elk with connective tissue…. Got our DNA match! The case was adjudicated in Federal court with a guilty verdict.

I believe the greatest benefit of the dogs was the ability to bring people, especially children, to learn about wildlife and game wardens/biologists. Everywhere we went with the dogs brought people to come and see or learn about the dogs/wildlife. Like KBD Cash, Mishka found orphaned bear cubs and cougar kittens, worked with wildlife biologists on bear/cougar research, and helped bring wildlife violators to justice. Mishka and I attended hundreds of events, and through these events probably interacted with over 10,000 people directly, hopefully bringing Washington wildlife into these folks’ lives in a positive and exciting fashion. It would be hard to guess how many children he touched, but at one event alone, 3,000 kids got to get a feel for what the Karelians are and what they do. One story, however, I believe made Mishka’s life remarkable and totally valuable. I was giving little presentations to people going by a department booth at the Puyallup Fair the year after Rocky died. I had the dog up on a table, and was shamelessly bragging about some of the things he had done, when I half-noticed a small little boy standing at attention off to the side staring at the dog. As I continued talking, the little fellow kept coming to my attention, because he was entranced with the dog. As everyone moved off, the little guy was still there, staring at the dog. It finally dawned on me that this little boy had figured out that he was looking at the greatest dog on earth, and that this dog was the “Michael Jordan” of the dog world. I asked him if he wanted to come over and give Mishka a pat, and his smile exploded from his face. He looked up at his mother to see if it was ‘alright’! She then asked me if it was okay, and I told her, “absolutely!” He started moving toward the dog, and I finally realized why he was standing so still. His entire body was attached to wire braces, having been afflicted with spina bifida. The only part of his body that was not held by braces was his head, and he shifted his legs one at a time to move up to the dog, taking several minutes. When he got up to Mishka, he reached out his little arms and tried as best he could to give him a hug, which the dog accepted without moving. As he stood there hugging the dog, his smile was as big as his face. I asked him, “Would you like to take Mishka for a walk?” He didn’t say anything, but looked up at his mother with some monstrously big eyes, and his mother looked at me and said, “Really, would that be possible!!!” I told her, “Absolutely, the dog loves children”. I told her the dog may pull a little, so be very aware of that!!” I handed him the leash, and told him to tell Mishka, “Come”. And off they went with the mother walking just behind. The smile…. the smile was as large as the table the dog was sitting on earlier, and as he slid each foot forward, the smile grew with each movement. It took about ten minutes for him to walk around some tables, but he made his way finally back to me, where he relinquished the leash. As I watched, it was evident that the small journey was quite a task for the little guy, but the smile never wavered. They left and I kind of got caught up in some other stuff, when a half hour later the mother of the boy approached me again. She grabbed my arm and said, “I just wanted you to know, and it took me some time to get my son back to our car, but those ten minutes with your dog were probably the best ten minutes my little boy has ever had in his life. I cannot begin to tell you what it meant to see him moving with your dog, and that your dog never once tried to move away from him as they walked together. His smile!! The best ten minutes of his life!!” With tears in her eyes, she disappeared. I sat down and had to relive the event. I came to the realization that I had just witnessed a “Make-a-wish”, and that everything the ‘black and white’ would ever do, would pale in comparison to those few minutes with a tiny little boy encased in metal.

Thank you all for your support of the KBD program. It was truly an honor for both my wife and I to be a part of what I consider one of the most innovative programs brought to WDFW since I was hired in 1974. Though there were many frustrating moments working with Mishka and the other KBD’s, the great memories were worth every second.

Jane/Bruce

Washington’s Wildlife Management Needs a New Focus: You Can Help!

Posted: by Darrell Smith

In the early years of the last century, many states began to realize that once-abundant wildlife populations were succumbing to human pressure from over-hunting, from habitat loss, and from government-sponsored programs aimed at eradicating species viewed as harmful to farmers and ranchers such as mountain lions, grizzly bears, Bald Eagles, coyotes, and many other predatory species.

In 1937, with the passage of the Pittman-Roberston Act at the prompting of Ducks Unlimited, a federal source of funding for wildlife management programs was created to be passed on to the States, based on a tax on the sale of firearms and ammunition. This created a substantial additional source of revenue for States, which could be added to the income from the sale of hunting licenses. Because the funding came primarily from hunters in those years, the management and conservation of wildlife had a definite emphasis on hunted species. Most States established hunting seasons and take limits for waterfowl, upland birds, deer, elk, bear, and others species hunted for either food or sport. Because their was little perceived benefit from all the other non-hunted species, single-species management became the norm, with by far the majority of State resources being funneled to hunted species.

Fast forward to today. Many things have changed in our world and most species are experiencing the effects of urbanization, forest harvest, polluted rivers, habitat loss and fragmentation and other human-caused impacts. More species than ever before are headed towards extinction. However, even though the source of funding for wildlife has shifted from reliance on Pittman-Robertson dollars and the sale of hunting licenses and tags, to include general fund sources of revenue and federal dollars from programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund, management of non-hunted species still lags far behind in terms of dollars spent and resources allocated.   Therefore, the decline of many non-hunted species is rapidly occurring during a time when habitat loss and degradation is accelerating.

All Washingtonians enjoy and benefit from the State’s diversity of wildlife. Whether you are a hiker, photographer, birder, kayaker, enjoy wildlife tracking, or simply listening to the songs of birds, you are a participant. You interact with wildlife. You enjoy a benefit. You have a stake in wildlife’s future.

You can help turn the tide. Learn what individuals and groups can do to address this increasing problem of equity and funding for wildlife programs. Please join us Tuesday, December 12th at the Issaquah Fish Hatchery to find out what conservation groups are doing to help wildlife and to establish a new direction in wildlife management. Tickets to Wildlife for All are free and can be reserved here.

 

Western Wildlife Outreach Attends Black Bear Release

Posted: by Darrell Smith

This week Western Wildlife Outreach staff accompanied Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officers and the Karelian Bear Dog Team into the field to release four black bear cubs.  A shout out to the folks at PAWS in Lynnwood, WA who do such great work with black bear rehabilitation and making this day possible. And a huge WWOOF! to WDFW’s KBD Team, human and canine!

Working Towards Carnivore and Livestock Conflict Avoidance

Posted: by Darrell Smith
DSC_0514

Its been an eventful week for Western Wildlife Outreach.  We attended the annual meeting of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee in Dubois, Wyoming.  Our new WWO Bear Safety Brochure debuted there, and won wide approval.  You will see it distributed at a wide number of locations across the West beginning this summer/fall.

We also benefitted from the sharing of approaches for bear awareness and outreach/education with other NGOs and government wildlife managing agencies.  The State of Wyoming and their partners have done some really innovative projects with small communities such as converting old horse trailers into garbage conveyance trailers for neighborhoods where other “bear aware” approaches to keeping garbage away from bears would not be cost effective.

The good news for bears and their allies in Washington State is that funding is falling into line so that the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be able to initiate the NEPA process for preparing an Environmental Impact Statement to address options for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the North Cascades Ecosystem beginning as early as 2014. With perhaps fewer than 20 Grizzly bears remaining in Washington’s North Cascades, the effort cannot happen too soon.

From Dubois, Wyoming we headed back to Ketchum, Idaho, to join up with colleagues working on livestock and wolf conflict avoidance in Idaho and Washington at a two-day training session sponsored by Defenders of Wildlife who have been true pioneers in this field, winning praise from livestock producers, elected officials and wildlife managers alike. It was a “hands on” training session and we visited some beautiful sheep and cattle producing operations where we practiced setting up temporary fladry fencing, and participated in RAG box demonstrations. RAG boxes are noise and light motion-activated wolf deterrent devices that are installed along a fence or fladry line.  They are carefully placed to detect wolves if they approach the enclosure, and when activated, make very loud, disturbing noises accompanied by strobe lights.  When property employed, wolves are dissuaded from venturing near livestock.

Blaine County, Idaho is a unique region of the State where many residents strongly support carnivore and human coexistence  It is also home to the Wood River Wolf Project, where Defenders of Wildlife have worked with local sheep producers and herders to implement conflict avoidance techniques that have resulted in zero sheep losses to wolves in an area where wolves regularly den and have their rendezvous sites. The long-time herder from Peru works with two herding dogs, a livestock guard dog and an extremely well-trained horse.  He moves the sheep herd up and down slope each day so that the sheep can access water, but avoid damage to sensitive stream environments. For much of the year, he lives out on the range with the sheep in a sheep herder’s wagon. At this point, with the active support of Blaine County elected officials, every sheep producer in the County is enrolled in the Wood River Project and actively use carnivore conflict avoidance measures.  Cattle producers in Blaine County are getting on board now as well.

Such techniques are new to Washington State and just beginning to catch on with ranchers in certain areas where wolves are returning to the landscape.  Over the next 12 months and beyond, Western Wildlife Outreach will be partnering with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington State University Extension, Washington Cattlemen’s Association and other NGOs to create a far-reaching program of information, education and technical assistance regarding the proper selection and implementation of a wide variety of effective carnivore conflict avoidance measures such as those used by the Wood River Wolf Project. Carnivore and livestock conflict avoidance practices when done properly are better for the producers’ bottom line, better for the livestock, better for the carnivores. We all win!

Orphaned Cougar Kittens Get New Homes, Provide Education

Posted: by Darrell Smith
images-11

RICHARD A. BEAUSOLEIL, Bear / Cougar Specialist, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Guest Post

Between 2002 and 2012, 26 orphan cougar cubs have been reported to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), captured by staff, and placed with facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) throughout the country (Table 1, Figure 1).  In addition to over 15 million visitors per year at these facilities, innumerable television and newsprint stories have covered the capture, transport, and arrival of these animals reaching out to countless millions more people.  This has not only resulted in high quality cougar educations programs benefiting people who may never have the chance to see a cougar in the wild, but also brought prominent national attention to WDFW.

The process of responding, capturing, providing care until the arrangement are finalized, and transporting animals requires organization, commitment, and on occasion, personal donations of time and money.  In almost all cases, orphaned cougars are reported to WDFW by a member of the public concerned that the animals will not survive on their own.  In many cases, the reports are given without the reporting party knowing the specifics; only that the kittens have been seen for some time without an adult.   If it’s the first sighting, and we do not have background knowledge, we ask that they leave the animals alone and keep us posted; this avoids removing kittens that are not orphaned.  Usually within few days, additional information is obtained and we are more certain that the adult is no longer present and a response is initiated.  In addition to using several types of box traps, kittens have been captured using WDFW’s Karelian Bear Dogs, and also by hand on several occasions.  Once captured, all kittens are tested for FeLV, transported to a veterinarian, given a thorough examination and care is administered if needed and biological measurements are gathered and recorded.  Health certificates are then issued to facilitate transfer.  Many times, kittens need to travel by aircraft to their final destination.  Regulations require an absorbent material be used as a base layer in the crate, windows and doors be covered with breathable burlap, doors securely locked, and food and water provided.  Flights are almost always direct to the destination.  As much as possible, we keep the reporting party involved throughout the process; this had resulted in respect, credibility, and much appreciation.  We acknowledge the assistance of Michelle Schireman, North America Section AZA Felid TAG Puma Population Manager & Regional Studbook Keeper, who has been an invaluable collaborator in placing these animals.

Table 1.  Orphaned cougar kittens donated to AZA accredited organizations from Washington and annual visitation at these facilities, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2002-2012.
Date Found

# Kittens

Sex

Age

Location Found

AZA Accredited Facility

Annual Visitation

May 8, 2002

1

M

Unknown

Unknown

Zoo New England, Boston, MA

570,000

August 21, 2004

3

2F, 1M

16 weeks

Duvall

 Memphis Zoo, Memphis, TN

1 million

May 11, 2006

1

F

Unknown

Sequim

Oregon Zoo, Portland, OR

1.5 million

October 15, 2006

1

F

5 weeks

Walla Walla

 San Diego Safari Park, San Diego, CA

1.8 million

February 1, 2007

1

M

8 weeks

Ellensburg

Dakota Zoo, Bismarck, ND

100,000

February 6, 2007

1

F

6 weeks

Ellensburg

 San Diego Zoo, San Diego, CA

4 million

December 5, 2007

1

F

5 weeks

Cle Elum

Topeka Zoo, Topeka, KS

150,000

December 14, 2007

3

2M, 1F

14 weeks

Cle Elum

1 M placed with Henry Dorly Zoo, NE

(2 died of starvation in quarantine)

1 million

January 12, 2008

2

2F

16 weeks

Orondo

Dakota Zoo, Bismarck, ND

100,000

January 18, 2008

1

M

16 weeks

Orondo

Orlando Zoo, Orlando, FL

died in quarantine

April 8, 2008

2

1M, 1F

13 weeks

Teanaway

Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, LA

2 million

March 13, 2010

1

F

14 weeks

Twisp

Northwest Trek, Eatonville, WA

185,000

October 8, 2010

1

M

 

Orondo

Alameda Zoo, Alamagordo, NM

60,000

May 16, 2011

1

F

8 weeks

Twisp

New York State Zoo, New York, NY

died in quarantine

October 30, 2011

2

2M

6 weeks

Shelton

Nashville, Zoo, Nashville, TN

550,000

November 7, 2011

1

F

7 weeks

Shelton

Houston Zoo, Houston, TX

1.6 million

March 23, 2012

1

M

12 weeks

Twisp

Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park, Palm Beach, FL

300,000

May 30, 2012

2

1M, 1F

18 weeks

Lake Chelan

Henson Robinson Zoo, Springfield, IL

90,000

Total

26

 

 

 

 

Annual Visitation 15 million+ 

 
  

8th Wolf Pack Confirmed in Washington State

Posted: by Darrell Smith
Many of Washington’s residents are thrilled to see that our native gray wolf population is showing signs of recovering and expanding their range. For the most part, it has been a peaceful return and the wolves are finding natural prey and keeping away from humans. But what should we do when ranchers in remote areas find predation has occurred on their animals as was reported to occur at a ranch in “The Wedge,”  an area of recent wolf activity in Stevens County near the Canadian border between the Columbia and Kettle Rivers, the same area occupied by Washington’s newest wolf pack?  Even though wolf recovery is very popular with a majority of Washington residents, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has a fine line to walk in implementing the State’s new Wolf Conservation and Management Plan adopted by the State’s Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Department last December. Local staff from the Grizzly Bear Outreach Project who live and work in the ranching communities will be listening to concerns voiced by the community and cooperating in efforts to find enduring solutions.  The story below from the Seattle Times discusses Washington’s newest wolf pack–one they will be monitoring now that they have collared an adult male. Department personnel hope that non-lethal means can be employed to harass any wolves approaching livestock.  However,  one Stevens County rancher has been issued a kill permit if he sees a wolf approaching or harming his cattle.  For more information on the Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, please visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/ or our own information at  https://westernwildlife.org/gray_wolf/gray-wolf-canis-lupus/
SPOKANE, Wash. —
Wash. wildlife officials: 8th wolf pack confirmed
seattletimes.nwsource.com
Washington Fish and Wildlife officials say they’ve confirmed an eighth wolf pack in the state.  An adult wolf believed to be the pack’s alpha male and a pup were caught Monday in northwestern Stevens County near the Canadian border. The adult got a monitoring collar and the pup got an ear tag.

Wildlife officials say this is being called the “Wedge” pack, named for the wedge-shaped part of Stevens County between the Kettle River and the Columbia River.

Just last month, officials said the agency had confirmed a seventh Washington wolf pack, this one in southern Stevens County, north of the Spokane Indian Reservation. They’re calling that one the Huckleberry pack.

Busy interstate highway through critical habitat: wildlife crossings and monitoring

Posted: by gmacd_admin

Have you ever traveled by car in the Pacific Northwest? Interstate-90 intersects the rugged Cascade Mountains in Washington State’s Snoqualmie Pass region, which has been identified as a critical link in the north-south movement of wildlife. I-90 Wildlife Watch is a citizen-based wildlife monitoring project that invites motorists to report wildlife sightings along I-90 in the Snoqualmie Pass region of Washington, and to bring awareness to the region. According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, “Wildlife habitat on either side of I-90 will be reconnected with the installation of new bridges and culverts, protecting both animals and the traveling public.” I-90 Wildlife Watch is gathering this information to help inform highway planning. 

Read more: I-90 Wildlife Watch and  Washington State Department of Transportation

I-90 Wildlife Watch poster.

Cougar-Smart Efforts in British Columbia

Posted: by Darrell Smith

The town of Squamish in British Columbia, our neighbor to the north, has the highest number of conflicts between humans and cougars of any town in British Columbia. That doesn’t mean that people are threatened by cougars. It means that cougars are reported coming too close to where people live and recreate or where they keep their livestock and pets. Squamish already has a very active Bear Aware Program, which they are now expanding to included cougars and other wildlife.

On Friday, June 22, Meg Toom wrote in the The Chief, the Squamish home-town newspaper, “Those statistics highlight the importance of expanding our awareness to include additional wildlife such as cougars. By reducing the availability of attractants for cougars, we can create a safer community for both humans and wildlife.”

“If we leave attractants (i.e. pet food or bird seed) accessible outdoors, we could be attracting small rodents to feed, which attract small domestic pets which, in turn, attract larger predators like coyotes and cougars. We all need to think of the food chain that we create within our own backyards.”

The Grizzly Bear Outreach Project endorses these steps for reducing human/cougar conflicts. Cougars are present throughout many parts of Washington State where conflicts with cougars occur most often in areas where subdivisions have been spreading out into former prime cougar habitat. GBOP has also expanded educational outreach efforts to include information on cougar awareness and tips for co-existing with cougars. Click here to go to our Cougar Page
for more information on the adaptable and secretive cougar.

Cougar Story with a Happy Ending

Posted: by gmacd_admin

Cougars are an important part of our natural heritage. Sleek and graceful, cougars are solitary and secretive animals rarely seen in the wild. With neighborhoods encroaching into wildlife habitat, the number of cougar sightings may increase, but a cougar sighting does not mean that there are more in an area. The cougar’s ability to travel long distances occasionally brings these cats into seemingly inappropriate areas, even places densely settled by humans. Such appearances are almost always brief, with the animal moving along quickly in its search of a suitable permanent home.

Photo: Mark Mulligan / The Herald

The young cougar in this news article was safely trapped and removed from such a place. “She could be at an age where she’s learning to hunt on her own. Her mother likely ran her off to encourage her to establish her own territory.” Such inexperience gets some cougars into trouble, but in this case good practices in non-lethal wildlife control techniques by state wildlife agents may help assure that this cougar will have no interest in anything human. Karelian Bear Dogs, which work to deter and repel bears, are being used to conduct similar work with cougars. Read the article, look at the photo gallery, and find that even an officer many years in the field can still be deeply moved to appreciate a magnificent young cougar.

Click the link to read the HeraldNet news article:

 

Cougar prowling Arlington caught, released in wild

$10,000 Reward Offered for Grizzly Bear Shootings in Northern Idaho.

Posted: by gmacd_admin

NEWS RELEASE
US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
PACIFIC REGIONAL OFFICE

Contact: Jason Holm, 503-231-2264   Jason_holm@fws.gov
Contact Phil Cooper, 208-769-1414      Phil.Cooper@idfg.idaho.gov

$10,000 Reward Offered for Grizzly Bear Shootings in Northern Idaho.

Investigation continues in shooting of grizzly and her nursing cub.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) law enforcement agents and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) are investigating the fatal shooting of a federally protected grizzly bear and her nursing cub in northern Idaho. A reward of $10,000 is being offered for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.  

The dead adult grizzly was discovered on the morning of May 18 by a hiker from Bonners Ferry, Idaho.  It was located in a clear-cut in Boundary County on Hall Mountain.  Hall Mountain is located east of the Kootenai River valley and northwest of US Highway 95.

The adult bear was a large female that was lactating, an indication she was nursing a cub (or cubs) produced during her recent winter hibernation. A subsequent search of the surrounding area by an Idaho Fish and Game Biologist turned up a dead cub that had also been shot.  Both bears appeared to have been dead a few days when found on May 18.

Both carcasses are being flown to the US Fish and Wildlife Service lab in Ashland Oregon for necropsy and further retrieval of evidence.

A black bear season is currently open in Idaho; however, hunters may not shoot grizzly bears and may not shoot black bears with cubs.  A bear identification program to train hunters to differentiate the species was posted last year and is available on the IDFG web page. 

Grizzly bears are classified as a threatened species in the lower 48 states and are protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973. Killing a threatened species protected by the ESA carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Anyone with information about this incident should contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent in Spokane, Washington, at 509-928-6050; the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at 208-769-1414; or the Idaho Citizens Against Poaching Program at 1-800-632-5999. Callers can remain anonymous.  

No additional information is being released at this time pending further investigation.