The new disease plaguing Colorado mountain lions 🐈

If you’re still with us, that means you’ve made it to the middle of yet another week and for that, we’re thankful.

We’ve added a few more sections (Quick Hits) to the newsletter as we continue to grow and keep all of you entertained for what we hope to be the best 5 minutes of your Wednesday and Friday mornings.

I hope y’all continue to enjoy what we put out there for you - be sure to let us know by participating in our surveys at the bottom of the email.

With that in mind, let’s all take a minute to grab a coffee or whiskey (no judgement) and get another mid-week dispatch out the door.

Here's what's worth reading about so far this week:

• Staggering disease in lions - A rare disease affecting one Colorado cat 🐈

• Hawaii’s pig problems - Things continue to get worse on the Big Island 🏝️

• 72-year-old guns down grizz - The year’s second attack took place and it didn’t end well for the bear 🔫

• Cocaine sharks - Yes, we seriously have issues 🦈

• Bald eagles are going off- And three people have needed stitches 🦅

• Watch a whale sink a fishing boat - I know it’s hard to top our news cycle right now, but this was CRAZY 🐳

THE CAT WAS FOUND IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA
NEW STUDY FINDS “STAGGERING” DISEASE IN COLORADO MOUNTAIN LION

In May of 2023, Colorado Fish and Wildlife was alerted to a peculiar-acting mountain lion in a residential area just south of Denver. The cat was displaying signs of severe hind leg ataxia and paresis (he couldn’t bear weight or stand on his hind legs) and was seen dragging itself along using only its front legs. State wildlife officials made the call to first tranquilize the cat before shooting it in the chest in an effort to preserve neural tissue. 

Given the unique condition of the animal, the corpse was promptly shipped out to Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences for a full panel including necropsy,  histopathology, immunohistochemistry, molecular diagnostics, and metatranscriptome sequencing to investigate potential causes of the disease…

🐗 Because Hawaii has an invasive pig problem, a new study points to the fact that it now also has an invasive plant problem. It’s no secret that feral hogs are a detriment to natural environments, not just in Hawaii, but across the mainland USA as well. Out-competing native species for food and other resources is one of the main reasons they remain harmful to the natural environment, along with the incessant destructive toll that rooting can cause. In Hawaii’s case, it’s leading to more problems than previously thought, particularly on the Big Island's already fragile ecosystem.

A new study from a team of biologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that areas that had higher populations of feral hogs, also had higher instances of non-native plant growth. In those areas, the study showed that the invasive plants recovered faster from damage caused by rooting activity than their native counterparts.

“Our study reveals how an invasive mammal can alter the makeup of a community by shaping conditions to favor plants with specific adaptations and accelerating the spread of non-native species,” the researchers wrote.

While here on the mainland, our environment has a lot more experience with native hoofed critters, the problem with nonnative plant species is not as detrimental as it is on the Big Island. With Hawaii’s natural environment having no real historic experience with hooved animals, the importation of axis deer, pigs and goats, remain a problem unique to Hawaii for the time being.

🔫 72-year-old man goes down shooting in season’s second grizzly attack. Although details remain sparse, Montana FWP reported over the weekend that a man was attacked by a female grizzly bear in Flathead County last Thursday evening. According to the release, the 72-year-old was picking huckleberries about two miles north or Columbia Falls when a grizzly approached the man and charged. Rather than relying on a can of spray, he pulled his sidearm and with one shot, ended the charge right then and there. Although he survived the attack, he was later hospitalized due to his injuries but is believed to have been released and is recovering. FWP has ruled the killing “a surprise defense encounter” and continues to work to verify whether or not any cubs were present with the now deceased sow.

🦈 A bunch of Brazilian sharks have just tested positive for cocaine. Welp, in the event that you need something else to worry about as we close out the year, feel free to add cocaine sharks to the list. Working off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, a team of marine biologists tested 13 Brazilian sharpnose sharks and found extremely high levels of cocaine in their muscles and livers. 

The concentration of the white stuff was nearly 100 times higher (see what we did there?) than previously reported for other aquatic creatures. Marine eco-toxicologist Sara Novais noted that each of the females in the study were pregnant and that the findings of the study were “very important and potentially worrying.”

The EXPLORE Act is the first-ever outdoor-recreation-specific bill package to pass the House: The bipartisan legislation is poised to stimulate local and national economies, enhance access for Americans to green spaces and modernize policies to bolster the recreation businesses that bridge people with nature. Read more at NWTF.

Colorado Parks & Wildlife discusses changes to big game hunting:  changes would affect hunting licenses for animals including deer, elk, pronghorn, moose and black bear through the 2025-29 big game season. Read more at KKTV.com

7,000-acre hunting property in Pennsylvania has just sold:  The historic North Fork Lodge, an iconic property nestled in Elk County, Pennsylvania has just sold for an undisclosed amount. This exceptional estate spans nearly 7,000 contiguous acres, offering unparalleled private wooded seclusion. See the property at Whitetail Properties.

Hunting license sales remained steady in 2022-2023: According to the report, over 80% of participating states experienced a change of 5% or less in hunting license sales from the previous year. Read more at CAHSS.

Ohio Controlled Hunting Applications Closing Soon: These hunts provide special chances for people to pursue deer, waterfowl, doves, pheasants, and more on public lands during the 2024-25 season. Read more at WKTN.com

Vermont moose hunting permit winners are drawn: The winners of Vermont’s 2024 moose hunting permits were determined Wednesday, July 17, at a lottery drawing at the Fish and Wildlife office in Montpelier. Read more at VermontBiz.

New hunting opportunities offered as part of the Georgia DNR Outdoors Beyond Barriers Initiative: The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is expanding its Outdoors Beyond Barriers initiative to include new hunting events for hunters with mobility impairments this season. Adaptive hunters can now apply for seven new Adaptive Wildlife Management Area hunting events across the state, providing greater access to outdoor activities. Read more at Grice Connect.

CONTROVERSY // ^{_{THIS WEEK’S SH*T DISTURBER}}

🦅 It’s getting serious in Kodiak as eagle attacks result in stitches for three individuals. It’s unclear as to whether or not our national bird is getting annoyed with all of the political rhetoric as of late, but at the port of Kodiak, Alaska, they aren’t messing around. According to reports, three people have already needed sutures to treat their wounds from dive-bombing bald eagles and no one can really figure out what’s got them all hot and bothered.

According to one Fish and Wildlife biologist, he believes that, while strange behavior, it likely has something to do with being fed by humans. Much like bears, he believes eagles can become accustomed to being fed by humans, resulting in much more aggressive behavior around them. He and others are recommending anyone hanging around St. Herman Harbor should hold something above their heads to protect themselves, or continue to watch the birds so that they won’t swoop down and attack other people

VIDEO // ^{_{SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO BE SEEN}}

🐋 Whale sinks a fishing boat off the coast of New Hampshire. This is one of those insane videos that you can’t help but wonder what in the hell it would be like to witness. While we can’t be there, watching it is still pretty crazy.

🌋 Biscuit Basin explodes as tourists run for safety. This is almost as crazy as the whale video - Watch as park visitors yesterday got treated to some Grade- A hydrothermal activity in the form of a massive explosion near Sapphire Pool in Biscuit Basin, located just north of Old Faithful.

CAMP TALK // ^{_{BEFORE YOU GO}}

We get a lot of questions and comments on here, and we figure it’s time to repay the favor. As part of our new Camp Talk section, we’re going to ask you, the reader, your opinion on some serious (and not so serious) topics to close out each newsletter.

Last week I asked, how do you shop for hunting and fishing gear?

To which you unanimously responded with:

1. Online from manufacturer (Kuiu etc)

Here’s today’s question…

Oh, and one more thing…