May 08, 2008 - 17:56:53 CDT
A horse owner east of Bismarck vehemently disagrees with an assessment that his mare’s wounds probably came from sharp, broken juniper tree branches rather than an attacking mountain lion.After a four-plus hour on-site visit, the USDA Wildlife Services’s Jeremy Duckwitz joined Randy Kreil, wildlife chief for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Thursday afternoon to announce the assessment during a news conference.
"It’s absolutely ... . It’s not a bush. It’s crazy," responded Kyle Bergquist, the injured mare’s owner.
His pregnant mare was part of a herd of horses in his pasture when she was injured Tuesday night.
The herd’s dominant mare had a foal, and she pushed the other mares around, Duckwitz said.
"It’s possible she was protecting her foal and pushed the (injured) mare back in the trees," he said. There was white hair on the ground below the trees, and the injured mare is white. Some of the mare’s wounds were the same height as the broken juniper branches, the wildlife managers reported.
"I want to sit in front of those people. They are totally saying things I know are not true," Bergquist said. "I have a 22-year-old mare with a white belly that rubs against those junipers."
Bergquist said he was considering having DNA tests done on the hair to show it came from his white-bellied, older mare.
He also said he had had several people stop by and look at his mare and support his theory that the wounds were caused by a lion. He said he plans to hold a new conference soon.
A NDGFD handout listed other reasons why the wounds were unlikely to have been caused by a mountain lion:
n The attack was reported to have happened between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., and lions typically hunt at dawn, dusk or at night.
n The largest horse in the group was attacked, not the foal, which isn’t consistent with lion behavior.
n The injuries were not consistent with a lion attack or effective kill technique. Mountain lions kill their prey by attacking the neck and head area, and not the rear end, where they are more likely to get injured.
n The horse had cuts on its front feet and bottom of its belly, which are not consistent with a lion attack.
n North Dakota wildlife officials consulted with Wildlife Services in Utah, which investigates far more lion-horse encounters. “They do not believe these are mountain lion-related injuries, especially with no head or neck injuries to the horse,” Utah officials concluded.
n There was no sign such as scat, hair or tracks found at the site or at nearby McDowell Dam.
n Duckwitz took experienced mountain-lion tracking dogs to the area, and the dogs did not pick up any scent. Using his dogs, Duckwitz treed and killed a young mountain lion in the Grassy Butte area during North Dakota’s first experimental mountain lion season.
n The report that the deer carcasses found in or near the horse pasture were freshly killed was not true. District game warden Jeff Violett, who did the initial investigation Wednesday, collected one carcass and determined it had died months ago.
n Numerous deer were observed in the area the following day. If a lion had been in the area, deer would have moved out of the the area.
"Everyone who looked at my horses said they were going to deny this," Bergquist said.
The foal did have two leg injures and a wound on its chest, and its mother had a leg injury, Bergquist said. He also said he was told that lions did attack from the rear.
"We take these reports seriously and take our time to get it right so people can rely on us and trust our credibility," said Kreil, who added that NDGFD has no reason to downplay a lion report near such a popular area.
The bottom line for Duckwitz, whose job is to investigate encounters between humans or livestock and predators: ”The wounds are not consistent with animal attacks.”
"There you have your answer," said Bergquist. "If you’re concerned about what happened, you need to pay attention. If you choose not to believe me, I hope nothing else happens."(Reach outdoor writer Richard Hinton at 701-250-8256 or richard.hinton@bismarcktribune.com.)
Pete wrote on May 12, 2008 9:35 AM:
"
logic wrote on May 11, 2008 9:07 PM:
Kyle Bergquist wrote on May 10, 2008 11:55 AM:
The timing of the attack I truly believe was right at sundown, as Sabas 25 plus bleeding points were fresh & actively bleeding when I saw her, all clearly explained to G&F. I could have easily been the reason the attack was ended, as I was out on my ATV rounding up the horses at that time. Also, the report says its unlikely the largest horse would have been attacked. My 10-day old foal had an open chest wound and injured legs also. I feel our mare Saba was attacked due to the fact she is ready to foal anyday, therefore is slower than the rest of the horses, making her easier prey. The majority of her wounds are not easily seen as they are up under the tail. The worst one being 8 long and about deep. Her front legs or feet has they say, had no injuries.
If NDGF thinks she was injured in the pasture, why is there no blood, hair, or hide on the juniper trees? Saba was bleeding enough that it was dripping down the rear legs, and soaked her tail. By the way, the white hair that they found, was actually white & interwoven with reddish brown, which belongs to another horse of mine. The attacked horse, Saba, is solid gray, not white, as G&F state. They also feel the pasture is too small and the horses were not getting along. This is an open, unconfined 40 acre pasture, and all mares have been pasture-mates for over 10 years.
Thank you to everyone who has visited and given their support.
"
what wrote on May 9, 2008 10:55 AM:
Thank-you for posting one more comment, but I'm wondering why you are choosing not to post my comment about my conversation with Wildlife Services and how they told me it wasn't worth it to come to my house to even look at my horse. They wouldn't even meet with me to view the pictures I took of the injuries. Just wondering why this comment can't be posted. Thank-you for your time again. "
What wrote on May 9, 2008 10:09 AM:
I understand that they are limited to 350 words, but it took that many posts for people to understand what happened. I've seen many other people post multiple comments, why is it different if I'm just writing all of mine at the same time? Don't you want people to see my real story that supports Berquists' position? "
FlyCaster wrote on May 9, 2008 9:52 AM:
But hey, what does the Game and Fish expect when they drive their black trucks in the middle of the night to release mountain lions all over the state. And the starting salary for their workers is at least six figures, maybe seven. "
Online Editor wrote on May 9, 2008 9:50 AM:
logic wrote on May 9, 2008 9:24 AM:
what wrote on May 9, 2008 9:22 AM:
What wrote on May 9, 2008 9:11 AM:
Paw-like from the middle of his back down his right side to his right flank in about four lines parallel to one another. His right flank area was all chewed and ripped up and his right hind leg had about three deep scratches down the inside of his leg and again on the inside of his cannon bone, these same vertical scratches. Nothing else on his body was hurt, just his back, right side, right flank, right hind leg. One of these scratches had hit a main vein on the inside of his hind leg and it was afterhours on the weekend. I did call our vet, who walked me through getting the bleeding to stop In time he has healed, but he still limps and will never be used to his full potential again.
"
Comments are reviewed for taste, tone and language before posting.
Some comments may be used in the Tribune's print edition.
We value and respect your privacy, but The Bismarck Tribune might
disclose certain information to governmental entities if served with subpoena.