1 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: From Mediator's World News headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This is 2 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,479 Speaker 1: Kel's we can review with Ryan Kel Kelly and now 3 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:23,239 Speaker 1: here's Kel. As though the last year hasn't been surprising enough, 4 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: biologist recently discovered what may be a previously unknown tree 5 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: dwelling nocturnal mammal that can produce screams over one hundred decibels. 6 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 1: One hundred decibels means if you were either writing a 7 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:45,480 Speaker 1: motorcycle or writing this particular mammal the dendro high racks 8 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:48,839 Speaker 1: of the Tita Hills area of Kenya, you would hear 9 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: the same volume of noise. In each case, you look 10 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: a little different. Higher axes look like rabbits with short 11 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:58,920 Speaker 1: round ears. So I hope the mental picture of writing 12 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: this cute bunny eared critter next to let's say, Harley 13 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: Davidson Street seven fifty is coming into focus. Biologists from 14 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: the University of Helsinki in Finland believed that these particular 15 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:15,560 Speaker 1: hieraxes in the tight of Hills may be a new 16 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:20,120 Speaker 1: taxon or a genetically distinct biological group because of the 17 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: very distinct vocalizations they make. The scientists described the noise 18 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 1: as and here I'm quoting A strangled the Whack. I 19 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 1: think my seventh grade friends had a band named a 20 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: Strangled Whack weren't half bad either. Another incredible thing about 21 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: hieraxes is that the closest living relative of this fuzzy 22 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:46,679 Speaker 1: seed eater is not the marmot, or the sloth or 23 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: the koala, but the elephant. Hieraxes, elephants, manatees, and sea 24 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: cows all descend from a common ancestor, and higher axes 25 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: even have tiny tusks. While we're talking elephants and things 26 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:06,520 Speaker 1: tenuously related to elephants, and ecologist at the University of 27 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: Auckland recently published a modeling analysis of how far different 28 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: animals can carry the seeds they've eaten before returning those 29 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: seeds to the earth and their poop. Elephants are extremely 30 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:21,920 Speaker 1: effective at this digestive seed dispersal, which is known in 31 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:26,079 Speaker 1: the biology biz as zoe corey, because they have big 32 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: stomachs and can travel long distances. African elephants have been 33 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,079 Speaker 1: shown to poop out seeds as far as forty miles 34 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: from where they ate them, providing an important means for 35 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 1: plants to spread and propagate. That'd be a new personal 36 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 1: best for our long distance runner friends to go for. 37 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: But zoo corey in the here and now has been 38 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,960 Speaker 1: well understood for a long time. This new Zealand ecologist 39 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: George Perry is for the first time modeling zookory in 40 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:06,080 Speaker 1: wait for it, dinosaurs. We do have fossilized dinosaur excrement 41 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: with seeds preserved in it. No, not corn seeds, so 42 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,040 Speaker 1: we know that this mode of seed travel did exist 43 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: way back when. And we know the body size of 44 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,800 Speaker 1: various dinosaurs, which tells us roughly how much each dinosaur 45 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:24,240 Speaker 1: could eat and how far they could move. Too small 46 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 1: like the two legged ornithopods who weighed only a few pounds, 47 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:31,360 Speaker 1: and the seeds passed through quickly. Too big like the 48 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: ninety ton Argentinosaurus, and it's hard to move very far 49 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: before the seeds exit, and so Dr Perry concludes that 50 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: dinosaurs on the scale of the modern elephant, like the 51 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 1: Triceratops and Stegosaurus, would likely have been able to move 52 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: seeds the farthest, possibly up to twenty miles from the 53 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: plants that grew them. Although we will never know how 54 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 1: right or wrong Dr Perry might be, at least we 55 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: now have a very new kind of very old mystery 56 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: to ponder and something new we have in common with dinosaurs. 57 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: Be sure to tell your teachers that one kids. This 58 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 1: week we've got the law enforcement desk by catch and 59 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:14,040 Speaker 1: do you smell that? But first, I'm gonna tell you 60 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 1: about my week and my week as well as this 61 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:22,280 Speaker 1: podcast is sponsored by Steel Power Equipment. I'm making this 62 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: week short because I'm packing up my steel gear and 63 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 1: heading south to Sonora, Mexico, meeting up with a few 64 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: folks from the outdoor clothing brand First Light, Seth Morris 65 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,640 Speaker 1: and the Honest patel Us, a meat eater. Old Steve 66 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: was supposed to go, but he's locked up in his 67 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:41,159 Speaker 1: guesthouse with COVID. This one's for you, buddy. Where it is. 68 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:43,920 Speaker 1: It's been a dry season in Sonora, so we may 69 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: not see the biggest bucks, but we will hike a 70 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: lot more of that beautiful high desert than you will, 71 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:55,919 Speaker 1: and for that, I'm sorry. You're my boy, Blue, my boy. 72 00:04:57,279 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 1: I will give you the full report hunting Cus d 73 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: Or in Sonora, both here on the Weekend Review and 74 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 1: on the Old Cal four oh six Instagram account. As 75 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 1: for the Snort Report, it's on pause. See what I 76 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:22,359 Speaker 1: did there. Moving on to the law enforcement desk, I 77 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:26,520 Speaker 1: personally don't believe any of her animals could have done this, 78 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: and I do know personally that the raccoon was locked 79 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:35,479 Speaker 1: up last night. Spoiler alert, this quote isn't a snippet 80 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 1: from the Tiger King documentary. I'm never gonna financially recover 81 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,600 Speaker 1: from this, So let's just stop here for a moment 82 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:47,160 Speaker 1: with that image of the classic bandit the raccoon with 83 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:51,480 Speaker 1: his black mask across his eyes behind bars. Then let's 84 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:54,599 Speaker 1: think of how seriously you will be taken if you 85 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 1: have to repeat that line to a local sheriff out 86 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: of When Arkansas US that When Arkansas notable for being 87 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,600 Speaker 1: the closest city to the second largest state park in Arkansas, 88 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: also the birthplace of Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, which is 89 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:13,800 Speaker 1: a name you know if you're a marine, which I 90 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:21,240 Speaker 1: am not, but I was in a marine wedding one time. Anyway, 91 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 1: lock up the pet raccoon, or it may attempt to 92 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:28,240 Speaker 1: eat your baby. It appears a pet raccoon crawled into 93 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:31,480 Speaker 1: a near eleven month old child bed and actually bit 94 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: the child so severely that the local sheriff didn't feel 95 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:39,200 Speaker 1: comfortable describing the bites. According to Fox thirteen News, the 96 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 1: sister of the child's mother had this to say. Her 97 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:46,320 Speaker 1: legs she's referring to the baby from the mid thigh 98 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:50,679 Speaker 1: down were covered in little pinchmarks. It was very little. 99 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: So if it was a dog dogs bite and these 100 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 1: were little nibbles, I could say it was a mouse, 101 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: but then they'd have to go in and look in 102 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 1: the walls. I don't think the sheriff was there to 103 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: determine which animal it was and track them down. The 104 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: raccoon is, however, going in for rabies testing. No word 105 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:15,239 Speaker 1: on the python the ladies released to catch the raccoon 106 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:18,760 Speaker 1: before the sheriff arrived, or the silver back gorilla they 107 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: released to watch the dogs in their absence. Sticking with 108 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: law enforcement but moving on, officials from the Kentucky Department 109 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 1: of Fishing Wildlife recently deployed a robotic deer in an 110 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:34,800 Speaker 1: effort to catch poacher's spotlighting, that is, blinding deer with 111 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: lights so that they're easier to kill at night. Twenty 112 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: nine year old James Malone was apprehended in Taylor County, 113 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:45,280 Speaker 1: Kentucky for doing just this, shining his light at the 114 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 1: realistically moving decoy for long enough that game wardens were 115 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 1: able to document Malone's behavior and make the arrest. Now, 116 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,240 Speaker 1: I think rigging up a robot deer to move naturally 117 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 1: enough to catch poachers is just as cool as can be. 118 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:02,360 Speaker 1: But is it's selfish for me to want another kind 119 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:06,040 Speaker 1: of robot deer? Maybe one who is living tissue over 120 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:11,200 Speaker 1: a metal endoskeleton, has a CPU that's a neural net computer. 121 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: I mean, who's better to take on poachers than the 122 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: deer manator? I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle. 123 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 1: Moving on to the UK Desk, recently we discussed some 124 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,280 Speaker 1: of the ins and outs of fox hunting, specifically that 125 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:32,480 Speaker 1: upper crust pastime in Britain whose adherents and opponents rival 126 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 1: each other in both passion and persistence. British hunting went 127 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:39,960 Speaker 1: through another curf leffel recently when a little owl was 128 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:42,200 Speaker 1: found dead in a trap on one of the estates 129 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 1: belonging to the Queen of England. The term little in 130 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:47,960 Speaker 1: the name little owl is not just a descriptor of 131 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 1: the bird's size, but also part of the common name 132 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:55,520 Speaker 1: for the species Athene noctua, also known as the owl 133 00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 1: of Minerva. Minerva, of course, was the Roman name for 134 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:03,520 Speaker 1: the Greek goddess Athena, whose symbol is the owl, and 135 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: after whom the city of Athens is named. So now 136 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:10,560 Speaker 1: you know that although the little owl is not officially 137 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:13,280 Speaker 1: on the list of protected species in England, the Royal 138 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:17,479 Speaker 1: Society for the Protection of Birds believes populations to be declining, 139 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:21,320 Speaker 1: and as owls are most definitely in the charismatic section 140 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:24,920 Speaker 1: of the Avian family, many Britons went ballistic when the 141 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 1: photo of the dead owl in the trap came out. 142 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:31,120 Speaker 1: By catch the term for snaring netting, catching things that 143 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 1: you didn't mean to like this little owl is a 144 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: challenge in all kinds of trapping, and skilled trappers can 145 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:41,960 Speaker 1: reduce by catch with careful technique. In the UK, the 146 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:45,840 Speaker 1: rules for setting traps are very detailed, and allegedly this 147 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:49,319 Speaker 1: particular trap wasn't properly embedded in a tunnel so as 148 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:51,880 Speaker 1: to limit the kinds of animals who were in danger 149 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 1: of walking into it, And this particular trap on the 150 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:59,360 Speaker 1: Queensland wasn't set for the purposes that might first occur 151 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 1: to you, the way you might set a beaver trap 152 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:06,920 Speaker 1: in hopes of some extremely warm fur and questionably appetizing tail. 153 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:11,160 Speaker 1: This trap and money like it was set in order 154 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 1: to reduce the number of stoats, weasels, rats, and other 155 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:17,200 Speaker 1: predators who eat the pheasants. The British hunters love to 156 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:21,319 Speaker 1: go after predator control. You set a trap for your competition. 157 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:26,319 Speaker 1: Trapping predators to protect upland game species is often great practice, 158 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:29,599 Speaker 1: and it's done extremely well in many parts of the US. 159 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:32,719 Speaker 1: By controlling one of the main drivers of bird mortality, 160 00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:35,400 Speaker 1: you can increase the numbers of all kinds of ground 161 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 1: nesting birds, including many non game species that can use 162 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:41,960 Speaker 1: all the help they can get. There are actually a 163 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:44,760 Speaker 1: few ways to accomplish this goal. One of the most 164 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:48,320 Speaker 1: interesting is to lay off the control of coyotes. Even 165 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:50,839 Speaker 1: though we often think of coyotes as a major threat 166 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:54,200 Speaker 1: to game species, they often eat the varmints and smaller 167 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:57,840 Speaker 1: predators that really focus on birds and eggs. The land 168 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: managers that set predator traps in the UK have an 169 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:04,559 Speaker 1: intimate knowledge of the landscape they're working in, and are 170 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: in many cases outstanding stewards of the ecosystem. The wrinkle 171 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 1: in this story of the little owl, however, is that 172 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 1: these particular, protected pheasants are by and large not wild, 173 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 1: but rather birds introduced by people expressly for the purpose 174 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:22,480 Speaker 1: of being shot. Although this doesn't represent all of the 175 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:25,240 Speaker 1: bird hunting in the UK by any means, the stocking 176 00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 1: of certain estates with birds and then having paid beaters 177 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:33,280 Speaker 1: flush those birds towards hunters is very popular. Very popular 178 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:35,360 Speaker 1: may have an asterix by it when you consider that 179 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:38,520 Speaker 1: a two thousand ten study accounted for only six hundred 180 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:42,360 Speaker 1: and twenty five thousand hunters amongst the fifty six point 181 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:46,360 Speaker 1: five million residents of the UK. Pheasant hunting the shooting 182 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:50,079 Speaker 1: sports are an enormous industry in England, partially supporting more 183 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:54,040 Speaker 1: than seventy thousand jobs. As many as fifty million juvenile 184 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:57,880 Speaker 1: pheasants or poults are released every year, and critics charged 185 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:00,679 Speaker 1: that the birds take a heavy toll on the ecosystem 186 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 1: as they compete with native birds and other wildlife for 187 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:07,559 Speaker 1: food and habitat. Of course, things get even more controversial 188 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:09,760 Speaker 1: when an owl gets caught in a trap meant to 189 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:14,199 Speaker 1: protect artificially introduced birds, and it's on the Queens of 190 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:17,080 Speaker 1: state if they're not setting traps the right way. In 191 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 1: the Queen's backyard. The thinking goes, what kind of example 192 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:22,959 Speaker 1: does that set for the rest of the country, And 193 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:28,079 Speaker 1: shouldn't the monarch be protecting vulnerable wildlife? And so on again. 194 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:30,800 Speaker 1: As with fox hunting, the fact that pheasant shooting is 195 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:36,080 Speaker 1: particularly associated with royalty nobility the upper classes causes a 196 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:40,840 Speaker 1: lot of friction. Forgive me for continuing to beat this drum, 197 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:44,560 Speaker 1: but this big British blow up illustrates another reason that 198 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:48,160 Speaker 1: recruiting new hunters and keeping them involved here in America 199 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:52,000 Speaker 1: is such a huge deal. Hunting might not exactly be 200 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 1: mainstream here, but it's practiced by a lot of different 201 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 1: people in a lot of different places, in a lot 202 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:01,319 Speaker 1: of different ways. According to d Ye in Deer Hunting Magazine, 203 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 1: eleven point four million deer hunters were legally ready to 204 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 1: hunt in the season that is, just deer hunters. In 205 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:12,360 Speaker 1: two thousand eighteen, the state of Texas sold over one 206 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:17,800 Speaker 1: million licenses. Two thousand nineteen, Hunting Licensed Data says fifteen million, 207 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:21,840 Speaker 1: five hundred forty four thousand plus people purchased a hunting 208 00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:25,200 Speaker 1: license in the United States, which sounds like a lot, 209 00:13:25,559 --> 00:13:28,400 Speaker 1: but you know, we have three hundred thirty one million 210 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:31,800 Speaker 1: people in the United States. And you know, for the record, 211 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:37,000 Speaker 1: fifteen million, five thousand hunters, maybe plenty of hunters in 212 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:40,960 Speaker 1: the US if everybody conducted themselves in such a way 213 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:45,760 Speaker 1: that the other three hundred fifteen or so million people 214 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:48,199 Speaker 1: in the US said, hey, I know a hunter. Those 215 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:51,960 Speaker 1: folks are great. If we're good stewards, if we represent 216 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:54,959 Speaker 1: ourselves well with non hunters, maybe if we bring some 217 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:58,440 Speaker 1: of these non hundreds some delicious pheasants delivered by let's say, 218 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:03,040 Speaker 1: a cute puppy, then maybe, you know, the attitude across 219 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:05,800 Speaker 1: the entire United States is like, no, I do not hunt, 220 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:08,360 Speaker 1: but I do know a good hunter with a cute puppy, 221 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:19,720 Speaker 1: and they're swell folks. Anyway, speaking of puppies, Whenever Snort 222 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:21,880 Speaker 1: is taken a little longer than I would like to 223 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 1: learn something new, I occasionally find myself muttering something like, 224 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:30,480 Speaker 1: how can you not see that the thing is right there? 225 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 1: But then I picture what Snort might say, if she 226 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:39,880 Speaker 1: could understand me, you're calling me dumb. I can smell emotions, 227 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 1: for God's sakes, emotions, and Snort would be right about 228 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 1: my deficiencies, especially in the smell department. Her canine compatriots 229 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:52,520 Speaker 1: continue to blow me away with the things they're able 230 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 1: to do with their noses, especially in an area I 231 00:14:55,720 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 1: carry a whole lot about locating hard to find invade subspecies. 232 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 1: If you are a person who does not care much 233 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:06,680 Speaker 1: about the Florida Everglades, you may be tired of how 234 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:09,360 Speaker 1: much we talk about them here on Col's we can review, 235 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:15,240 Speaker 1: but amazing things keep happening there, including the unbelievable proliferation 236 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:20,080 Speaker 1: of Burmese pythons throughout the ecosystem. As we've discussed many times, 237 00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:22,560 Speaker 1: when an animal finds a new place to live with 238 00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:26,320 Speaker 1: an agreeable climate, lots of prey, and no natural predators, 239 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 1: the numbers of that thing take off, and that is 240 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:33,640 Speaker 1: the case for pythons. One of the other advantages Florida 241 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:37,120 Speaker 1: pythons have is that they are exceedingly hard to detect. 242 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:40,400 Speaker 1: They can remain motionless for up to fifteen days at 243 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 1: a stretch. They can stay completely submerged in water for hours. 244 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 1: If you want to learn more about just how hard 245 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:50,560 Speaker 1: these things are to find, do yourself favor and go 246 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 1: listen to episode two nineteen in The Meat Eater Podcast, 247 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:58,280 Speaker 1: in which herpetologist Dr. Robert Reid, a k A. Dr 248 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:02,760 Speaker 1: Bob goes into a hunishing detail about how well adapted 249 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:06,120 Speaker 1: these snakes are for being there and not having you 250 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:10,520 Speaker 1: know it, snakes, Why did it have to be snakes 251 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:13,520 Speaker 1: For the good of the rest of the animals and 252 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:16,480 Speaker 1: the everglades. The need to find these snakes and reduce 253 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:20,040 Speaker 1: their numbers as extreme. We are, however, not very good 254 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 1: at it. They're an estimated one hundred thousand to three 255 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:27,360 Speaker 1: hundred thousand pythons in the everglades, which, if you can 256 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:31,680 Speaker 1: tell by the gaping two gap in the estimate, we 257 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 1: have no clue how many pythons there are, and paid 258 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:39,080 Speaker 1: snake hunters have only caught sixty three hundred of them 259 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:44,200 Speaker 1: in the last four years, despite intense focus on problem. 260 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:47,520 Speaker 1: And that is where the very smart and capable dogs 261 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 1: come in. In the past few months, the Florida Fish 262 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:54,200 Speaker 1: and Wildlife Conservation Commission have been training dogs to sniff 263 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:58,480 Speaker 1: out pythons, and recently a dog named Truman found his 264 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:01,400 Speaker 1: first one. In order to train him and the other 265 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:04,600 Speaker 1: dogs in the effort, handlers introduced towels with pythons sent 266 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:07,560 Speaker 1: on them, then let the dogs find live snakes with 267 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:11,879 Speaker 1: implanted radio transmitters. Quick side note, you can pick up 268 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:15,080 Speaker 1: a set of python scented towels in ivory, sea foam 269 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:18,760 Speaker 1: green and coral pink, the perfect better late than never 270 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:22,880 Speaker 1: Christmas present for that special someone. Just look up Florida 271 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:28,200 Speaker 1: Fishing Wildlife dot com. Kidding or am I? I mean? Seriously? 272 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:30,560 Speaker 1: Have you ever been to Florida? Have you ever seen 273 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:34,840 Speaker 1: the classic Florida tourist traps? Python towels are probably buried 274 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:44,760 Speaker 1: in there somewhere. Anyway, Truman found his first snake in 275 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 1: the Rocky Glades Public Small Game Hunting Area in Miami 276 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:52,880 Speaker 1: Dade County, where I'll bet there is less small game 277 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:56,600 Speaker 1: to be hunted now than there was prior to pythons 278 00:17:56,640 --> 00:18:01,399 Speaker 1: and python dogs. Although this pilot dog training effort is small, 279 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:04,320 Speaker 1: it is showing promise, and the hope is that more 280 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:08,000 Speaker 1: dogs can be trained in the same skill. We're really 281 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:09,919 Speaker 1: going to be rocking and rolling when the State of 282 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:13,280 Speaker 1: Florida figures out some particularly good use for all the 283 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:19,200 Speaker 1: feral cats good dogs. Now. When it comes to invasives, 284 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:22,000 Speaker 1: it's always more effective to stop the spread before it 285 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,240 Speaker 1: gets out of hand and into the water or the bush. 286 00:18:25,359 --> 00:18:28,200 Speaker 1: It's much harder to reduce numbers of a species that's 287 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:32,560 Speaker 1: fully established across a landscape, like pythons. Detecting a new 288 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:36,119 Speaker 1: invasive fast can mean the difference between a nuisance and 289 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:40,240 Speaker 1: a catastrophe. Pennsylvania is trying to contain exactly this kind 290 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:44,359 Speaker 1: of recent invasive whose numbers are growing but haven't yet exploded. 291 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:48,360 Speaker 1: The spotted lantern fly, native to East Asia, has been 292 00:18:48,359 --> 00:18:51,120 Speaker 1: detected in the southeastern part of the state, as well 293 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:54,399 Speaker 1: as in parts of several surrounding states. It is a 294 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:59,600 Speaker 1: strange feeling when a harmful invasive species is also extremely 295 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,439 Speaker 1: beautifu full, but that is truly the case with the 296 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:06,119 Speaker 1: spotted lantern fly. It has two sets of wings, the 297 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:09,840 Speaker 1: top two spotted like a dalmatian's coat, the bottom two 298 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:14,359 Speaker 1: with pomegranate red patches. When the top wings cover the 299 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:18,200 Speaker 1: bottom ones, the red color glows through, giving the lantern 300 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:22,760 Speaker 1: effect that led to its name. Unfortunately, the lantern flies 301 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:26,639 Speaker 1: effects or anything but beautiful. The voracious eaters feed on 302 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:30,480 Speaker 1: all kinds of crops, but most especially grapes and stone fruit. 303 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:34,680 Speaker 1: They are a major threat to Pennsylvania's vineyards and orchards, 304 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:38,199 Speaker 1: and their appetites are not the only problem they present. 305 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:43,080 Speaker 1: They almost always leave behind a sooty mold that damages 306 00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:47,119 Speaker 1: plants even further. Once lantern flies have grown to full size, 307 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:50,120 Speaker 1: it's too late to control them, and so it's critical 308 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:53,040 Speaker 1: to find their eggs and destroy them before they hatch. 309 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:56,359 Speaker 1: But of course, part of what makes them so tough 310 00:19:56,400 --> 00:19:58,960 Speaker 1: to eradicate is that their eggs are very hard to 311 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:02,639 Speaker 1: see and very well hidden. So guess who has the 312 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 1: detection skills to pinpoint where they are? Dogs? Not outdoor 313 00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:14,960 Speaker 1: bird and small mammal destroying cats. Dogs. Veterinarian Cynthia Otto 314 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:18,359 Speaker 1: at the University of Pennsylvania's Working Dog Center has trained 315 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:21,719 Speaker 1: a German shepherd named Lucky to detect the spotted lantern 316 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:26,000 Speaker 1: flies unhashed eggs. Although dr Otto trained Lucky, she then 317 00:20:26,080 --> 00:20:29,240 Speaker 1: handed her off to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to 318 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:32,679 Speaker 1: patrol the edges of the known lantern fly zones to 319 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:35,639 Speaker 1: find and destroy the eggs before they spread any further. 320 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:39,240 Speaker 1: Although Lucky is just starting to be deployed in the field, 321 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:42,919 Speaker 1: she has passed the first critical test picking up the 322 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:46,480 Speaker 1: smell of the lantern fly eggs while ignoring the smell 323 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:49,159 Speaker 1: of the tree bark that eggs are almost always on, 324 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:52,280 Speaker 1: it would not be so useful to have a dog 325 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 1: who would let you detect tree bark in a forest. 326 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:59,159 Speaker 1: The trainers went even further and introduced smells intended to 327 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:03,359 Speaker 1: distract he's nos. But she ignored these diversions and found 328 00:21:03,359 --> 00:21:09,240 Speaker 1: the live eggs of the time. Good girl, lucky, and 329 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:12,600 Speaker 1: Pennsylvania is not messed around with this problem. They have 330 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:17,080 Speaker 1: already quarantined significant portions of the state, restricting the movement 331 00:21:17,119 --> 00:21:21,760 Speaker 1: of landscaping and construction ways, plants, firewood, deck furniture, mobile 332 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:25,040 Speaker 1: fire pits, and much more. In order to move this 333 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:28,120 Speaker 1: stuff from place to place, you now need a permit 334 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:31,840 Speaker 1: from the state showing that you've been trained in inspecting 335 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:35,840 Speaker 1: your stuff and getting rid of any eggs. Think of that. 336 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:39,639 Speaker 1: A horsefly just makes you bleed a little bit. The 337 00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:42,720 Speaker 1: lantern fly makes you get a state permit to move 338 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:46,240 Speaker 1: your own deck furniture around. You didn't file your paper 339 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:49,639 Speaker 1: with last night. That's some next level annoyance from the 340 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:55,920 Speaker 1: fly family. Moving on. Mount Everest is two ft taller. 341 00:21:56,440 --> 00:22:00,280 Speaker 1: Take that, Sir Edmund Hillary. Sometimes it doesn't a to 342 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:04,879 Speaker 1: be first kids. Everest was recognized as the tallest mountain 343 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:08,520 Speaker 1: in the world in eighteen fifty six. The actual height 344 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:12,280 Speaker 1: of the mountain was calculated at twenty nine thousand eight 345 00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:17,040 Speaker 1: feet in nineteen fifty four, then twenty nine thousand thirty 346 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:21,760 Speaker 1: five ft in nineteen and if the new number is recognized, 347 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:26,399 Speaker 1: the current official height will be twenty nine thousand, thirty 348 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:32,960 Speaker 1: one feet. Well wait, Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summited Everest 349 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:36,960 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifty three when the official height was quote tallest. 350 00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:42,480 Speaker 1: Now the official height is less than the fifty four calculation. 351 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:46,440 Speaker 1: But if you calculate in subsidence or shrinkage, the fact 352 00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:50,800 Speaker 1: that the land compresses over time, Hillary in Tensing may 353 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: actually be first to summit and have climbed the furthest 354 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:59,720 Speaker 1: to reach the world's tallest mountain, which means Ricky Bobby 355 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:05,320 Speaker 1: was right. If you're not first, your last shake and bake, 356 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:08,120 Speaker 1: what does that do? Did that blow your mind? That's 357 00:23:08,119 --> 00:23:10,359 Speaker 1: all I've got for you this week. Thanks for listening 358 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:13,720 Speaker 1: as per usual right in. Tell me what's going on 359 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:15,720 Speaker 1: in your neck of the woods. You can find me 360 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:18,920 Speaker 1: at a s k c A L. Let's ask cal 361 00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:22,040 Speaker 1: at the meat eater dot com. If you're loving what 362 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:25,120 Speaker 1: you're hearing, tell a friend or two. Don't hog all 363 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:28,440 Speaker 1: this good info for yourself. Thanks again, I'll talk to 364 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:29,080 Speaker 1: you next week.