Throughout our years of volunteering with U.S. Fish & Wildlife, we have been in many areas frequented by a number of potentially dangerous animals such as moose, bears, mountain lions, and venomous snakes. However, the only animal that has ever tried to attack me was a dog in a residential neighborhood. That is, until now. …
Recently I wrote a trail guide for Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. Writing a trail guide, I have discovered, can be as much or more involved as writing an article. But the challenge is rewarding, as well as educational. Each stop for the trail must be researched and written succinctly to fit in limited space. …
“Will it bite?” kids often ask us regarding our snakes when we present our reptile program at schools. Both Chuck and I have been bitten by nonvenomous snakes, and it was most often our own fault, either reaching into their cage with fingers that are scented with mice or startling a sleeping snake without first …
“Don’t let one come near me!” The young man who flagged our refuge truck to wait for road construction had asked us where we were headed. When we told him we were going onto the Refuge to track wolves, at first he thought that was “cool,” but after some thought, he added, fearfully, that he …
Even though most of our reptile work centers around snakes, other reptiles interest us as well. Recently, we were invited to join a long term population study of freshwater turtles at Wekiva Springs State Park near Orlando, Florida, to help collect turtles for a survey. Warm drizzling rain accompanied us on our drive to the …
One of the greatest rewards of aging is the opportunity to witness the young generation fulfill their dreams and passions. In August of 1993, Pope John Paul II was coming to visit Denver, I was working for a dentist in the Denver area, and one of our patients was an eighth-grade Boy Scout thoroughly fascinated …
“You can come and help out, but I hope you don’t get bored. There might be a lot of down time.” After inviting us to a bighorn sheep capture and collaring, Desert National Wildlife Refuge biologist Lindsay Smythe warned us in advance that we could be disappointed. “Sometimes the sheep don’t come down,” she said. …