Beavers (Castor canadensis) were once rare in Indiana due to overharvesting but are now abundant. In 1935, the Indiana Department of Conservation obtained a few breeding pairs from Wisconsin and released them on Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area. Beaver populations expanded, aided by strategic relocations to certain parts of the state to help with expansion. Presently, beavers are found in almost every county. Copied from Beaver at Indiana Department of Natural Resources. "Although the species currently is considered secure across its range, unregulated fur harvest and habitat destruction caused severe declines or extirpation of beavers by 1900 in many parts of the United States." From North American eaver (Castor canadensis): A Technical Conservation Assessment Prepared for the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, Species Conservation Project February 6, 2007 at fs.usda.gov.
Happy International Beaver Day! Beavers were once rare in Indiana due to overharvesting for their fur but are now...
Beavers were once rare in Indiana due to overharvesting for their fur but are now abundant.
In 1935, the Indiana Department of Conservation obtained a few breeding pairs from Wisconsin and released them in strategic relocations to certain parts of the state to help with expansion.
The population expanded and now beavers are found in almost every county.
Wild Winds Buffalo Preserve 6975 North Ray Road, Fremont, Indiana. Wild Winds has more than 400 acres of rolling Indiana prairie, natural waterways, lakes, birds and is home to approximately 250 bison.
Did you know the United States has a national mammal? On May 9, 2016, the National Bison Legacy Act was signed making the North American Bison the official mammal of the United States. The American plains bison wild population is just over 20,504. Their scientific name is Bison bison bison.
Ouabache State Park in Bluffton, IN has a bison herd. Starting Memorial Day weekend, weekly naturalist-led bison hikes are given around the bison enclosure to learn about these amazing animals. Dates and times will soon be posted on our calendar at on.IN.gov/ouabache.
Photo by Jared Christiansen.
What happened to the millions of bison?
How the opening of the Transcontinental Railroad changed the shape of the American West.
How the opening of the Transcontinental Railroad changed the shape of the American West.
Where the Buffalo No Longer Roamed The Transcontinental Railroad connected East and West—and accelerated the destruction of what had been in the center of North America
Bison herds in the western United States were so massive, they shook the ground and sounded like thunder in the distance. The American bison roamed most of North America and in the early 19th century, population estimates were between 30 million to 60 million. Their story is inextricably tied to the history of America’s first transcontinental railroad.
Hundreds of thousands of bison were slaughtered by hunters, travelers and U.S. troops. Trains shipped bison carcasses back east for machine belts, tongues as a delicacy, and bones as fertilizer. When the Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869, it accelerated the decimation of the species and by 1900, naturalists estimated less than 1,000 bison remained.
By the late 1880s, the endless herds of bison were wiped out and just a few hundred individuals remained. Near extinction of the majestic animal deprived the Plains Indians of thier livelihood and resulted in tremondous suffering. The last remaining Bison were protected in Yellowstone National Park and other sanctuaries in North America. Today, bison populations are slowly recovering. The sculpture “Distant Thunder” is a tribute to the vast herds that once roamed the American West.
Did you know that massive herds of bison used to migrate through southern Indiana? They cut trails and wallows into the land that can still be seen today. The paths were used by Native American and early settlers. Eventually, parts of the path became modern highways.
With snow starting to fall throughout the region, paws and enjoy the landscape and see if you can tell which paws pass through, telling tails you won't want to miss!
Have you seen any wildlife tracks in the snow? Can you guess the tracks below? Click on each photo for a hint.
A trail camera photo of a black bear from November 23 in Clark County, Indiana was recently confirmed by DNR staff. The bear can be seen walking along the edge of a standing soybean field. This is likely the same bear that was reported in the New Albany area on Nov 18 after being struck by a vehicle. These reports are 10 miles apart indicating that the bear was still active and moving after the accident. A black bear is not cause for concern, but citizens are encouraged to be BearWise to minimize potential conflicts and not leave out food for the bear or attempt to approach it. Visit bearwise.org for tips on living with black bears and read our factsheet below for bear information. Learn more about black bears, report sightings, and download the pdf of the factsheet at our black bear webpage: Black Bear
Bobcat
Geriann Albers, a Furbearer Biologist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, told WANE 15 that bobcats started to move into southern Indiana in the late 1900s. Now, they’re migrating into northeast Indiana. “They’re doing this because they like to follow our river corridors,” Albers explained. “So, they moved to the southern part of the state and they’re following our rivers, basically, up into northern Indiana and over. Now they’re moving down into our northeastern and eastern part of our state.” While bobcats are more nocturnal, secretive animals, Albers said more and more sightings are happening thanks to trail and security cameras.More bobcat sightings are occurring in northeast Indiana; why are they coming here? Rex Smith June 20, 2023 on CBS WANE-TV NewsChannel 15.
Coyote
This coyote, along with a friend, was seen roaming southwest Fort Wayne last week. Fort Wayne Newspapers employee Jean...
This coyote, along with a friend, was seen roaming southwest Fort Wayne last week. Fort Wayne Newspapers employee Jean Sheets sent us this photo from her sister, who lives in the Fall Creek addition off Bass Road near the University of Saint Francis.
Greetings Fort Wayne. Just wanted to give a #CopProTip for those of you calling 911 for coyote sightings. FWPD and FW...
Greetings Fort Wayne. Just wanted to give a #CopProTip for those of you calling 911 for coyote sightings. FWPD and FW Animal Care and Control want to let you know it isn't necessary to call 911 to report sightings. However, please call 911 if you see any of the following:
Coyotes strapped to rockets
Coyotes carrying boxes labeled ACME
Coyotes posting signs that say "free bird seed" or "detour"
Coyotes detonating TNT
Coyotes dropping anvils from hot air balloons
Coyotes in possession of very large magnets
In all seriousness coyotes live with us. Yes, some are #CityDwellers but most stick to county areas. They are probably more visible now that the leaves are off the trees. Their mating season will soon start so sightings may increase. They generally won't harm humans but Roadrunner, if he catches you you're through also small dogs too. Remember, they are animals so always use caution if spotted.
The last reported wild deer was killed in Knox County in 1893 shown on our 1893 Timeline then reintroduced decades later.
Fox
Be aware of a Ring and Runner in the neighborhood. 😆 What does the Fox say? "Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding! Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding! Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!"
Punxsutawney Phil says spring is right around the corner!
Or is it?
Although Groundhog Day is a great tradition enjoyed by millions of Americans, groundhogs might not be the best weather forecasters…but they are still very impressive animals. Click the link to see what Purdue Extension Wildlife Specialists have to say on the subject: Groundhogs can’t predict the weather but they do poop underground
Happy Groundhog Day! It’s that time of year again where we wonder: To winter or not to winter? Since we can’t control spring like Persephone, we’ll tune in to a furry little “forecaster” named Punxsutawney Phil. While his accuracy rate has fallen to 30% over the past decade, you can always count on him to look cute and grumpy at the same time.
This year, he didn’t see his shadow, which means an early spring! Whether you’re rejoicing that your cardigan can get more outings or celebrating that those pale noodles called your legs might finally see some sun—we’re just happy to hop back into bed. Learn more about Phil’s past predictions here: http://bit.ly/GroundhogsAndClimate#PunxsutawneyPhil
*FUN FACT FRIDAY* The answer to TALK TO ME TUESDAY's Who am I clues is... the GROUNDHOG! Here are some more fun...
The answer to TALK TO ME TUESDAY's Who am I clues is...
the GROUNDHOG!
Here are some more fun facts:
Groundhogs are sometimes called whistlepigs. This funny name comes from their habit of whistling at potential mates.
Some people refer to groundhogs as woodchucks. The name comes from a Native American word, wuchak.
Groundhogs are known for digging huge burrows to live in, and they can move up to 700 pounds of soil to create their home.
When the groundhog builds its home, it actually builds a bathroom. It’s a designated place away from the space where the family sleeps or stores its food.
Groundhogs can eat more than a pound of food in one sitting!
Groundhogs can hold their breath for up to 5 minutes when diving into water to escape danger.
It’s found only in the United States and Canada.
They may not look like the squirrels you’re used to seeing, but groundhogs are the largest member of the squirrel family.
Two of the groundhog’s 22 teeth — the top incisors — continue to grow throughout the animal’s life at a rate of 1/16 of an inch every week.
The answer to Talk to Me Tuesday is... the Raccoon!!
Here are some Fun Facts for you:
• The popular nickname for Raccoons is Trash Panda because they am intelligent and adaptable so have learned to source food around humans.
• Raccoons “see" with their hands
Raccoons are often seen “washing” their food in water before they eat it. This behavior is because raccoons have very dexterous front paws, which they use to feel around and explore their surroundings. Their paws are way more sensitive than human hands and can pick up on things that we would never notice.
• When raccoons do their “washing” routine, they actually feel the texture and temperature of objects and things in their environment and try to determine if those are safe to eat or not. Raccoons also have 5 fingers on each paw, which gives them a very human-like grip. This gives them the ability to open jars, doors, and even latches.
• Raccoons prefer to be out at night. (nocturnal)
• They do not truly hibernate but put on extra fat in the fall so when they need to sleep during an extra cold they will still be okay.
• They are great climbers with hind feet that rotate 180 degrees, allowing them to descend head first.
• Once people feed raccoons, they will become a nuisance because they will eat almost anything.
• In the wild, raccoons eat clams, crayfish, frogs, fish, snails, insects, dead animals, bird eggs, fruits, and vegetables.
• Raccoons live in abandoned burrows, under rock piles, hollow logs, and holes in trees. Or, you might find me in attics, crawl spaces, chimneys, and abandoned vehicles.
A wild turkey was spotted strolling through downtown Fort Wayne on Wednesday. Former Fort Wayne City Councilman and mayoral candidate Mitch Harper posted several photos on his social media pages of a large turkey in the parking lot of Trinity English Lutheran Church in downtown Fort Wayne on Wednesday. In one photo, the turkey was perched atop a small SUV parked in the lot. It’s not clear how the bird made its way into the city center. Harper said he called a bird rescue team to rescue the turkey.
The mainstay of the Thanksgiving meal in the U.S. was first domesticated nearly 3,000 years ago by Native Americans in what is now central Mexico around 800 B.C. They were not used for meat but for ritual and religious purposes. This domesticated subspecies was brought to Europe in the 1500s, bred into many varieties, and then brought back to North America with the first colonists.
In Ohio, turkey became popular for Christmas dinner by 1787. But the recommendation of turkey as the Thanksgiving meal’s centerpiece can be almost entirely attributed to a decades-long marketing campaign by popular magazine editor (and composer of “Mary Had A Little Lamb”) Sarah Josepha Hale.
Once driven nearly to extinction by habitat loss and overhunting, the Wild Turkey can now be found in most Ohio counties. Read a brief history of the turkey on our history blog: A Brief History of the Turkey.
Ben Franklin had a few satirical thoughts about our national bird: “For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perch’d on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him. With all this Injustice, he is never in good Case but like those among Men who live by Sharping and Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country, tho’ exactly fit for that Order of Knights which the French call Chevaliers d’Industrie. I am on this account not displeas’d that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For in Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America. Eagles have been found in all Countries, but the Turkey was peculiar to ours, the first of the Species seen in Europe being brought to France by the Jesuits from Canada, and serv’d up at the Wedding Table of Charles the ninth. He is besides, tho’ a little vain and silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on. “
Their November 27, 2019 Facebook post add this line to the last line above that the article was: an excerpt from an [unpublished] letter to his daughter Sarah Franklin Bache, Jany. 26th. 1784. To access the digital edition of the Franklin Papers, go to The Papers of Benjamin Franklin.
[ Bald eagles became extirpated in Indiana by the 1890s and were re-introduced in the 1980s ]
Wild turkey's in Indiana were extirpated for many decades before reintroduction in the mid-20th century allowed wild populations to re-establish themselves.
Did you know that the wild turkey is native to Ohio? Many thanksgiving dinners include turkey, either harvested locally or purchased from the store, but there was a time, not so long ago, that wild turkeys disappeared from Ohio’s landscape.
Records from the early 1800s showed a plentiful population but as Ohio grew, its turkey population shrank due to overharvesting. By the new century, turkeys were considered extirpated from Ohio. About 50 years later, ODNR’s Division of Wildlife (video courtesy of ODOW) reintroduced wild turkeys into Ohio’s forests which resulted in a dramatic conservation success story.
Today, the turkey population has rebounded to upwards of 150,000 across the state! These birds rely on natural areas, including state nature preserves and scenic river interior lands for food and habitat, which means land conservation continues to be a critical component of native species management.
On behalf of Ohio’s native species and protected habitats, we thank the Ohioans who continue to respect and support the natural world around them.
In all seriousness coyotes live with us. Yes, some are #CityDwellers but most stick to county areas. They are probably more visible now that the leaves are off the trees. Their mating season will soon start so sightings may increase. They generally won't harm humans but Roadrunner, if he catches you you're through also small dogs too. Remember, they are animals so always use caution if spotted.
What does the Fox say?
Happy Groundhog Day! It’s that time of year again where we wonder: To winter or not to winter? Since we can’t control spring like Persephone, we’ll tune in to a furry little “forecaster” named Punxsutawney Phil. While his accuracy rate has fallen to 30% over the past decade, you can always count on him to look cute and grumpy at the same time.