Another maybe not so funny animal encounter

[bikerchick68]

OMG... and this post is why I road bike!

I am in awe that anyone stops to check on the snake... and that you stopped to prevent the cat fight...

All I have to deal with is bee stings, nasty drivers and the occasional Starbucks that is late to open!

I am SUCH a city girl now...

[Nanci]

The safe way to pick up a snapping turtle is by the tail, close to the base of the shell, and hold out as far as possible from your body if it's a big one, 'cause it is not going to appreciate the rescue! This is the only turtle with a strong enough tail to support its weight. Other turtles, if they feel like biting, hold at both sides of the shell back by the tail and watch out for clawing back feet.

Rattlesnake, don't mess with. Non-venomous snake, scootch out of harm's way with a big stick.

(Besides being a pigeon lover, I also have my beloved Cornsnake, Maizey, my Century Ride Box Turtle, Fagalo, my Tortoise, The Chicken, and my baby Glass Lizard, Russell Jr. Russell Sr. died of unknown causes about a month ago :-(

There was just talk on the ultrarunning list today about a grouse attack. Cyclosutra, your experience sounds very typical. But they just want you away from the nest/babies- _please_ don't pepper spray a bird! I think that might kill it, and then the babies don't have such a good chance.

Nanci

[Running Mommy]

I do have cool wildlife sightings too though. When I trail run I always see little white tailed bunnies and the occasional prairie dog. But my all time favorite is when I see a road runner. One was running with me as I rode by one day. I couldn't help but let out a "beep beep"

[Runnin Rat]

While training for my first marathon (4 years ago) my running partner and I decided to drive out 15 miles, park the car, then drive in. Keep in mind this is Nevada, very hot in the summer. We started at 3:00am. As we were stretching by our car, SHE made a terrible noise. I let it slide, until she did it again! "Are you ok?" I asked. "That wasn't me! There's something out there!" she was whispering, I guess she didn't want 'it' to hear us. "Open the door" I whispered back "I can't, the key is tied to my shoe." 'it' was getting closer. My first thought was "no one told me there were mountain lions out here! Did we think to slip her shoe off her foot? Nah, that would have been way to easy. Instead, we hoisted her foot up to the door, twisted and wrenched her leg around till we could get the key in, all the time 'it' was getting closer and closer. Once the door was open, I about poll vaunted over her to get in. I wasn't going to wait for her open the back door. We slammed the door and promptly locked it, like 'it' know how to open a door! I was mad. Our run has just been foiled. She wanted to see what our predator looked like. I didn't want to see a big cat up close! We maneuvered the car lights so we could see.....a donkey. Yep, none other than a scared little boar. We got back out of the car and did our run.

That was my scariest encounter with wildlife so far. We see coyotes constantly, they come up to my back door all the time, snakes, lizards, bunnies, road runners, desert tortoises, etc. That is why I like the desert. I don't, however, enjoy the domestic creatures who want to let me know who's road I am really on!

I don't carry mace with me, I carry a hand bee bee gun. It is highly effective so far. People think it is a 'real' gun, and dogs don't like the noise it makes, or how it feels when I actually hit them.

[Nanci]

From a webpage describing safety issues on the rails-to-trails trail I rode Tuesday evening with my cousin:

"Wildlife: There are many forms of wildlife to be seen on or from the Trail. Please limit your interaction with wildlife to observation and photography. Trail users should not approach or attempt to physically interact with wildlife. It is not unusual to see alligators, poisonous snakes, wild horses and other potentially dangerous wildlife on or near the Trail."

Nice combination, huh?

Nanci

[wabisabi]

I was a Nevadan for almost 25 years, and those wild burros and horses can be pretty wild during mating season; the dogs and I would take a good detour around them when they were in heat and not in their right minds! They can sound pretty unearthly also. And then of course there are the rattlers, and tarantulas and scorpions and mtn. lions, coyotes and bears (sometimes young mtn. lions would come into Reno and hang out by--casinos).