Dan from Madison

Pigging Out, Wisconsin Edition

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A few days ago James Rummel put up a post about the expanding feral pig population. In his post he had a link to a map that showed where the populations of the feral pigs were. I wondered why there were none reported in Wisconsin, and others raised questions about the map.

I would have to now agree with those who said that it was a reporting issue – looks we have them in Wisconsin after all. Here is a page from the Wisconsin DNR site from January of ’08. Seems they are indeed all over the state.

The position of the Wisconsin DNR seems to be the same as the DNR in Ohio – they want them dead, anytime, anywhere, anyhow. All you need is a small game license and the permission of the land owner to harvest as many of them as you want. If you are a land owner you can harvest them no questions asked.

This is a very good page from the Wisconsin DNR website that describes feral pigs, how they live, breed and feed. Amazing creatures, as they eat just about anything they can get their snouts on. I am sure they are tasty as well, and I just may need to gear up to find out someday.

Don’t forget, if you have photos of wildlife in urban or suburban settings, Jonathan is looking for those and you can find his new blog on the subject here.

Suburban Wildlife Link Dump

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A few days ago I left my gym after another great workout. It was around 9pm. The parking lot and surrounding area was cold and dark. The usual silence was broken by a sound I hadn’t heard for 30 years, since I visited a family friends’ farm. I heard the distinct sound of coyotes howling. It sounded exactly like this.

I was shocked and not shocked at the same time. I have written rather extensively on the coming issues we have with animals encroaching back into suburbs and cities. On the one hand I was surprised to hear the coyotes so close to me smack dab in the middle of Madison, Wisconsin. They sounded very excited, and I surmised that they were celebrating a kill, be it a domestic dog or perhaps a deer. On the other hand I remembered all I had written about the seemingly increasing populations of wild animals in what used to be a “no mans land” for wild animals – urban centers. After thinking about it a while, it really is no surprise. The zoo does indeed seem to be coming to us.

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Army Christmas Operations Order 12-24-08

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This received from my brother in law, an ex-Army guy:

Army Christmas Operations Order: 12-24-08

Subject: Christmas

1. An official visit by MG Santa (NMI) Claus is expected at this headquarters 25 December 2008.   The following instructions will be in effect and govern the activities of all personnel during the visit.

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