Eco-tourists could put wildlife in peril

Coyote in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

weetbicks1983 has contributed a photo to this story.

While camping at Padre Island National seashore a brown coyote which lives back in the dunes wandered down to the beach looking for fish washed up on the shore. It was in the high 90's (F) that day and the coyote looked pretty hot and uncomfortable. After walking about 100 yards or so down the beach, it returned to the grass / dunes interior to the island.

MWMassa has contributed a photo to this story.

Every year we visit Yellowstone National Park as well as Grand Teton National Park and a host of other National Forests.  Wildlife and landscape is what draws us to this area and keeps us coming back.  To observe wildlife in their natural habitat is a wonderful opportunity, and it is great to see that there are still parts of our country that are not prone to commercialization and development.  Probably the most photographed animal we see each year is the coyote.  I have several posted here, so please enjoy!!!!

The photo of this scraggy "smiling" coyote was taken in Joshua Tree National Park, CA during the summer of 2001. A few cars including mine were passing through an intersection in the parks interior. Everyone slowed down to gawk and or feel sorry for the skinny coyote begging for food in the middle of the four-way stop. The coyote probably won a few scraps from the passerby's who passed by before, and was maybe coming back in hopes of winning more.

snapshotradio has contributed a photo to this story.

The steady growth popular in major cities like Los Angeles CA, have given way to impoverishment and almost extinction of wildlife such as coyotes and other species common in these regions, this led to this type of wildlife to dependent on waste left over, endangering the survival and reproduction of this and other species of wild life.

Alejandro Gallo Photography has contributed a photo to this story.

ZooAmerica in Hershey, PA welcomed three new bobcats on May 5, 2008. This is the proud (and watchful) mother.

drquuxum has contributed a photo to this story.

These are postcards from The Sierra club.

ajkrull33 has contributed a photo to this story.

It was a very hot day at the Phoenix Zoo, and this bobcat had been drinking water to cool off. Of course there were several people surrounding the habitat, but this animal seemed to love all the attention. Rather than hide in a niche, it developed a curiosity for its audience.

Miss Volta has contributed a photo to this story.

Just crusing through Yellowstone and this guy was just off the road.

wholfeld has contributed a photo to this story.

Sadly, as in the case of the Gorillas in a few remote areas in Africa, wildlife can become less fearful of human intrusion and then someone arrives with the musket and baaam - the Gorilla, or whatever, is no more! The human species really can't be trusted. Sad but true.

I had heard several times that there were a few bobcats around Lake Grapevine. That suprised me because the lake is so close to an urban area. Grapevine is between Dallas and Fort Worth, TX. It was about mid-morning on May 15, 2008 and I was out taking photos along the hike and bike trail that runs around the edge of the lake. I had kneeled down to photograph a wildflower. I was focused in on the flower when I saw a shadowy movement in the background of the frame. I quickly looked up and to my suprise it was a bobcat. The bobcat was leisurely walking about 15 yards from me along a drainage pipe that runs into the lake. By the time I could focus on the bobcat, it was just past me so, unfortunately, I did not get a shot of it's face. I don't think the cat ever saw me. I have been back to the same spot many times but have not seen the bobcat again.

TexasEagle has contributed a photo to this story.

We spent a couple of days in Death Valley and one afternoon we were driving back to our motel and this little guy was just wondering along the road. The animal seemed disorientated and I assume was hungry as there was no fear in approaching our car.

toon-cat has contributed a photo to this story.

Coyote at the Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona, USA)

Daria has contributed a photo to this story.

This is a bobcat phtographed at the Knoxville Zoo in Tennessee in September 2007.

RNRobert has contributed a photo to this story.

I am out at dawn most days to be in nature, study birds and take photos of birds, mammals, or plants if they pose for me.

This bobcat and I frequent the same road and it usually just fades into the trees when it becomes aware of me. The bobcat has lots of space where humans don't go and most folks never see it here.

maggs has contributed a photo to this story.

These pictures were taken at Flamingo Gardens, Florida. This animal is injured and cannot be released into the wild.There's a pair of them in the compound. They care for the animals and all of the babies that they produce do get released back in the wild. In Florida this is an endangered species.In the area I live I have seen two new cubs each season in the Boyton Beach, Florida area for the last three years. The growth of housing in this area has had an effect on the population of the bob cats because of the diminishing woods and wetlands.

burt1barnett has contributed a photo to this story.

These two pictures were taken at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage Alaska, http://www.alaskazoo.org/. Most animals there were either injured or orphaned. We also visited the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, http://www.awcc.org/home.html. A lot of the animals there were also injured or orphaned.

Wayne Gott
Leander, TX

Gott-Photos has contributed a photo to this story.

This Bobcat was found at the Yarmouth ZooQuarium in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It was entered into captivity as a cub, and has been determined unreleasable. Photo taken by David Goldfarb.

Vertexico has contributed a photo to this story.

Taken in the Fountain Paint Pots in Yellowstone National Park just before sunset. canon EOS 350D and 100-400L.

Canon Chris has contributed a photo to this story.

I'm glad you like this photo and that you want to use it. Please when you've finished what you're doing, send the collection of photos my way? Thanks,

Matt

optimusprim3 has contributed a photo to this story.

This pair of bobcats reside comfortably at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.

inspir8tion has contributed a photo to this story.

I work around a high traffic train yard in Calgary. There has been a family of coyotes living and breeding around this train yard for about 4 years. I find a lot of joy in watching and observing these vary intelligent animals. These coyotes are still vary intimidated of humans and will not let you get to close. My hope is that they will be left alone so they can thrive and live in harmony with humans

Photo by
Danno V

danno27visser has contributed a photo to this story.

We were on vaction in Montana when the town we were in happen to be having some sort of block party. This baby bobcat was attracting a small group of people who wanted to touch and hold him. Apparently in Montana, you can have a bobcat as your pet, as long as you get a wild animal license.

tomoko827 has contributed a photo to this story.

It was a hot evening and the coyote pups were brought out to play. There are 6 adults and 4 pups in this pack. They are located directly behind my house and within the urban area. The adults sit guard while the pups have short play time on top of the hill until the sun sets then they are brought back to the den.

Mike Taddeo has contributed a photo to this story.

Two Bobcats after wildly playing with one another at the Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

-Brenton Butterfield

brentonbutterfield22 has contributed a photo to this story.

Taken on the beach around 6:00am at Ft. Pierce Inlet in FL. He visits the beach on a regular basis.

davywill has contributed a photo to this story.

For those of us who love nature, it's very tempting and seems very appealing to bring wildlife into our experience by "owning" a wild animal such as "Jackson", this beautiful bobcat. But Jackson lives at the Cooper's Rock Cougar Sanctuary in West Virginia. This facility has too many cases of a cute, cuddly little animal that turned into a large, powerful animal that was too much for its "owner" to handle. By the time the human realizes this was a bad idea, the animal is beyond the point where it can just be released into the wild. Thanks to this sanctuary/rehab center, a number of animals have been given the best life they can have under the circumstances.

ticebass has contributed a photo to this story.

This young bobcat is one of a litter of 5 who was orphaned in north western Texas. Her mother was shot in front of her eyes by a rancher. He found the clutch of kittens on his property and laid there with gun in hand waiting for her to return to nurse her babies, and when she did, she was killed. A kind neighbor heard of the incident (after that same family brought the babies into their house to reportedly be rasied as pets) and brought the bobcat kittens to Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation in Kendalia TX. The bobcats were raised in our clinic and were eventually released back to the wild.

wildliferescue has contributed a photo to this story.