Halloween was the backdrop for multiple-witness reports out of Missouri October 31, 2011, as hovering Bright Lights and descriptions of a disc-shape object flooded the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database, including one report that offers three video clips.
Eight reports were filed at MUFON from Missouri for October 31, 2011, including Case 33047 where a witness, a daughter-in-law and two grandsons were at a stop light and observed "pulsating and blinking multi-colored lights, as well as extremely bright, white lights" in the sky.
But the object moved closer and hovered.
"When we first saw it, it was as if it was approaching us with its bottom facing us," the reporting witness stated, "as if on a vertical orientation, and as it retreated, it turned flat (or horizontal), at times moving very slowly, then accelerating very quickly. It would completely disappear from time to time."
Read on ...
Showing posts with label Missouri. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Missouri. Show all posts
Monday, November 7, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Mountain Lion sightings on the rise in the Ozarks (via Chad Arment)
Although Missouri's mountain lion sightings have increased in the past 15 years, wildlife experts say no attacks to livestock, pets or people have been reported.
The increase in sightings also may be attributed to technological advancements.
The most recent confirmed sighting, near the junction of highways 160 and 19 in Alton, was captured on a game camera.
Missouri Department of Conservation biologist Jeff Beringer said experts could not determine by the camera image the age or sex of the mountain lion, although he suspects it to be a male passing through in search of a mate.
It is the third confirmed sighting in the Missouri Ozarks since March, and the ninth in the past 10 months. On March 9, a motorist near Rover in Oregon County saw a mountain lion cross the road and get tangled briefly in a barbed wire fence. A cotton ball-sized tuft of hair taken from the fence traced that cat to South Dakota.
Both August sightings were images caught by game cameras -- one near Mountain View on the western edge of Shannon County and the latest sighting near Alton in Oregon County.
Beringer, who is with the states's mountain lion response team, said the two sightings could be the same animal, but without physical evidence to check DNA, it is only speculation.
Mountain lions have been traced from a Black Hills, S.D., colony of mountain lions to as far east as Connecticut. Beringer speculates the cats are likely young males moving through in search of females and hunting territory.
"Typically, they don't stay around,"Beringer said. "If they don't find a mate, they keep moving."
The two camera images from August did not capture the animals at the right angle to determine if they are male. The shots also were too dark to see if barring still is present on the cats' front legs. The barring is most evident on young animals, and is gone by the time they reach two years.
Young cats disperse from their natal homes at about 15 months of age. Depending on her health, a mother cat can have four or five kittens in one litter annually. The kittens do not have a high survival rate, however, Beringer said.
When the young cats leave South Dakota, they must go a long way before they find suitable habitat, such as remote Ozarks' areas, where game and shelter is ample. Mountain lions are typically shy, and will avoid humans and barking dogs.
Rex Martensen, also with the conservation department's mountain lion response team, said the images on the cameras do not appear to be that of captive lions that have escaped.
Thirty-two mountain lions are licensed for captivity in Missouri.
Captive cats tend to be overweight, Martensen said. They also will have wear marks on their elbows, such as a dog has, from laying on concrete or other hard surfaces.
Captive mountain lions also have plaque on their teeth from eating commercially prepared food. Mountain lions actually prefer to kill their food, Martensen said, although they also will eat dead game in captivity, Martensen said.
Sometimes, owners have arrangements with local conservation agents to acquire road kill, Martensen said.
Besides mountain lions, about six black bears are licensed for captivity in Missouri, as are about a dozen wolves. Black bears are probably the easiest to feed in captivity, Martensen said, because they will eat anything, such as scraps, although they need a lot of it. Black bears can reach 400-500 pounds.
Wild animals held in captivity must be caged at all times, Martensen said. The cages are inspected by conservation agents to verify sturdiness and that the animals have adequate space.
Martensen said Missouri did not begin protecting mountain lions until about the 1940s or 1950s. The last wild mountain lion killed in the state was in 1927 in the bootheel.
The next mountain lion sighting was not reported in Missouri until 1994 when two raccoon hunters treed and shot a small adult female near Peck Ranch Conservation Area in Carter County.
The carcass was never recovered, but a photo was obtained of the animal on a truck tailgate. The hunters were fined $2,000 each.
Mountain lions are a protected species that may only be killed if they attack or kill livestock or domestic animals or threaten human safety.
From 1996-2006, about one mountain lion per year was reported in Missouri. In November 2010, a landowner in Platte County photographed a mountain lion.
Since then, eight more confirmed sightings have taken place, two of which were in Oregon County and one in Shannon County. Most of the sightings are by motion-activated game cameras.
Beringer said game cameras could be contributing to the increase in sightings because inexpensive cameras are readily available, and not necessarily an indication that more mountain lions are in the area.
"Every other deer hunter out there now has a game camera," Beringer said.
Beringer said it is possible the mountain lions have always been in the Ozarks, and have remained hidden for generations.
Martensen said people should not run if they encounter a mountain lion, which can trigger a response mechanism in the cat to chase.
The best thing to do is to make yourself appear larger by spreading out your arms and backing away slowly, Martensen said.
"They don't like to fight with something if they don't think they can win," Martensen said.
For more information, go to www.missouriconservation.org and search for "mountain lion."
Linda Greer, Assistant Editor
http://www.areawidenews.com/story/1761815.html
The increase in sightings also may be attributed to technological advancements.
The most recent confirmed sighting, near the junction of highways 160 and 19 in Alton, was captured on a game camera.
Missouri Department of Conservation biologist Jeff Beringer said experts could not determine by the camera image the age or sex of the mountain lion, although he suspects it to be a male passing through in search of a mate.
It is the third confirmed sighting in the Missouri Ozarks since March, and the ninth in the past 10 months. On March 9, a motorist near Rover in Oregon County saw a mountain lion cross the road and get tangled briefly in a barbed wire fence. A cotton ball-sized tuft of hair taken from the fence traced that cat to South Dakota.
Both August sightings were images caught by game cameras -- one near Mountain View on the western edge of Shannon County and the latest sighting near Alton in Oregon County.
Beringer, who is with the states's mountain lion response team, said the two sightings could be the same animal, but without physical evidence to check DNA, it is only speculation.
Mountain lions have been traced from a Black Hills, S.D., colony of mountain lions to as far east as Connecticut. Beringer speculates the cats are likely young males moving through in search of females and hunting territory.
"Typically, they don't stay around,"Beringer said. "If they don't find a mate, they keep moving."
The two camera images from August did not capture the animals at the right angle to determine if they are male. The shots also were too dark to see if barring still is present on the cats' front legs. The barring is most evident on young animals, and is gone by the time they reach two years.
Young cats disperse from their natal homes at about 15 months of age. Depending on her health, a mother cat can have four or five kittens in one litter annually. The kittens do not have a high survival rate, however, Beringer said.
When the young cats leave South Dakota, they must go a long way before they find suitable habitat, such as remote Ozarks' areas, where game and shelter is ample. Mountain lions are typically shy, and will avoid humans and barking dogs.
Rex Martensen, also with the conservation department's mountain lion response team, said the images on the cameras do not appear to be that of captive lions that have escaped.
Thirty-two mountain lions are licensed for captivity in Missouri.
Captive cats tend to be overweight, Martensen said. They also will have wear marks on their elbows, such as a dog has, from laying on concrete or other hard surfaces.
Captive mountain lions also have plaque on their teeth from eating commercially prepared food. Mountain lions actually prefer to kill their food, Martensen said, although they also will eat dead game in captivity, Martensen said.
Sometimes, owners have arrangements with local conservation agents to acquire road kill, Martensen said.
Besides mountain lions, about six black bears are licensed for captivity in Missouri, as are about a dozen wolves. Black bears are probably the easiest to feed in captivity, Martensen said, because they will eat anything, such as scraps, although they need a lot of it. Black bears can reach 400-500 pounds.
Wild animals held in captivity must be caged at all times, Martensen said. The cages are inspected by conservation agents to verify sturdiness and that the animals have adequate space.
Martensen said Missouri did not begin protecting mountain lions until about the 1940s or 1950s. The last wild mountain lion killed in the state was in 1927 in the bootheel.
The next mountain lion sighting was not reported in Missouri until 1994 when two raccoon hunters treed and shot a small adult female near Peck Ranch Conservation Area in Carter County.
The carcass was never recovered, but a photo was obtained of the animal on a truck tailgate. The hunters were fined $2,000 each.
Mountain lions are a protected species that may only be killed if they attack or kill livestock or domestic animals or threaten human safety.
From 1996-2006, about one mountain lion per year was reported in Missouri. In November 2010, a landowner in Platte County photographed a mountain lion.
Since then, eight more confirmed sightings have taken place, two of which were in Oregon County and one in Shannon County. Most of the sightings are by motion-activated game cameras.
Beringer said game cameras could be contributing to the increase in sightings because inexpensive cameras are readily available, and not necessarily an indication that more mountain lions are in the area.
"Every other deer hunter out there now has a game camera," Beringer said.
Beringer said it is possible the mountain lions have always been in the Ozarks, and have remained hidden for generations.
Martensen said people should not run if they encounter a mountain lion, which can trigger a response mechanism in the cat to chase.
The best thing to do is to make yourself appear larger by spreading out your arms and backing away slowly, Martensen said.
"They don't like to fight with something if they don't think they can win," Martensen said.
For more information, go to www.missouriconservation.org and search for "mountain lion."
Linda Greer, Assistant Editor
http://www.areawidenews.com/story/1761815.html
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Wild wolves in Missouri? (via Chad Arment)
BRENT FRAZEE
The Kansas City Star
Nov. 19, 2010
When Andrew Protenic looks back on the 2010 Missouri deer season, he’ll have quite a tale to tell.
No, it doesn’t have anything to do with a huge buck. Or an extraordinary shot he took.
Instead, his story centers on an animal he mistook for a coyote and shot — a creature that appears to be a wolf.
For now, the Missouri Department of Conservation isn’t sure just what he killed — a wild wolf that had done some serious traveling or an escaped pet. Perhaps a wolf-dog hybrid.
Resource scientists have collected tissue and hair for DNA analysis, and they’re contacting wildlife biologists from nearby states that have wolves to get a clue to where this animal came from.
But one thing they’re certain of: This definitely isn’t the type of tale they hear often during the Missouri deer season.
“Never in a million years would I have thought I’d see a wolf when I was out deer hunting,” said Protenic, 34, of Smithville. “I’ve hunted there in Carroll County for eight years now, and I know a lot of the people in the area.
“No one I talked to has ever seen anything that looks like a wolf or talked to anyone who might have one as a pet. This is a real mystery.
“When I first saw it, it just looked like a big coyote.”
Protenic, who was properly licensed to hunt both deer and coyotes, realized he had something far different when he got down from the tower stand he was hunting in Saturday, opening day of the firearms deer season.
He had seen few wolves before. They’re not supposed to be in Missouri.
Though they long ago inhabited the state, they disappeared in the late 1800s due to habitat loss and unregulated hunting. Today, they’re listed as a protected species in Missouri.
But wolves survived and even thrived in Minnesota. From there they spread to neighboring states, such as Wisconsin and Michigan. Still, wolves are listed as a federally endangered species in most of the lower 48 states.
The last time a gray wolf was reported in Missouri was in 2001, when a young animal was mistakenly shot in Grundy County. That wolf had a radio collar and its origin was traced to Michigan.
Could Missouri have attracted another wayward wolf? Missouri officials aren’t sure.
But initial clues indicate it may have been a wild animal.
“The animal was covered in lice, and most captive wolves are generally parasite free,” said Jeff Beringer, a resource scientist for the Department of Conservation. “We also found no wear spots in the elbows, which is common on captive wolves and other animals that spend a lot of time lying around.”
The wolf, a male, weighed 104 pounds and appeared to be 3 years old, Beringer said.
No form of identification — tattoo, ear tag or microchip — was found.
Protenic immediately called a conservation agent and feared he might be in trouble. But no state charges are pending against the hunter.
Wildlife officials expect DNA results to be back in about a week. Then they’ll have a better idea of what they have and perhaps where it came from.
“I’m really interested to hear what they find out,” Protenic said. “If it was a wild animal, it had to travel a long way out of its normal range to get here.”
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/11/19/2454173/is-missouri-where-the-wild-wolves.html
The Kansas City Star
Nov. 19, 2010
When Andrew Protenic looks back on the 2010 Missouri deer season, he’ll have quite a tale to tell.
No, it doesn’t have anything to do with a huge buck. Or an extraordinary shot he took.
Instead, his story centers on an animal he mistook for a coyote and shot — a creature that appears to be a wolf.
For now, the Missouri Department of Conservation isn’t sure just what he killed — a wild wolf that had done some serious traveling or an escaped pet. Perhaps a wolf-dog hybrid.
Resource scientists have collected tissue and hair for DNA analysis, and they’re contacting wildlife biologists from nearby states that have wolves to get a clue to where this animal came from.
But one thing they’re certain of: This definitely isn’t the type of tale they hear often during the Missouri deer season.
“Never in a million years would I have thought I’d see a wolf when I was out deer hunting,” said Protenic, 34, of Smithville. “I’ve hunted there in Carroll County for eight years now, and I know a lot of the people in the area.
“No one I talked to has ever seen anything that looks like a wolf or talked to anyone who might have one as a pet. This is a real mystery.
“When I first saw it, it just looked like a big coyote.”
Protenic, who was properly licensed to hunt both deer and coyotes, realized he had something far different when he got down from the tower stand he was hunting in Saturday, opening day of the firearms deer season.
He had seen few wolves before. They’re not supposed to be in Missouri.
Though they long ago inhabited the state, they disappeared in the late 1800s due to habitat loss and unregulated hunting. Today, they’re listed as a protected species in Missouri.
But wolves survived and even thrived in Minnesota. From there they spread to neighboring states, such as Wisconsin and Michigan. Still, wolves are listed as a federally endangered species in most of the lower 48 states.
The last time a gray wolf was reported in Missouri was in 2001, when a young animal was mistakenly shot in Grundy County. That wolf had a radio collar and its origin was traced to Michigan.
Could Missouri have attracted another wayward wolf? Missouri officials aren’t sure.
But initial clues indicate it may have been a wild animal.
“The animal was covered in lice, and most captive wolves are generally parasite free,” said Jeff Beringer, a resource scientist for the Department of Conservation. “We also found no wear spots in the elbows, which is common on captive wolves and other animals that spend a lot of time lying around.”
The wolf, a male, weighed 104 pounds and appeared to be 3 years old, Beringer said.
No form of identification — tattoo, ear tag or microchip — was found.
Protenic immediately called a conservation agent and feared he might be in trouble. But no state charges are pending against the hunter.
Wildlife officials expect DNA results to be back in about a week. Then they’ll have a better idea of what they have and perhaps where it came from.
“I’m really interested to hear what they find out,” Protenic said. “If it was a wild animal, it had to travel a long way out of its normal range to get here.”
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/11/19/2454173/is-missouri-where-the-wild-wolves.html
Wild wolves in Missouri? (via Chad Arment)
BRENT FRAZEE
The Kansas City Star
Nov. 19, 2010
When Andrew Protenic looks back on the 2010 Missouri deer season, he’ll have quite a tale to tell.
No, it doesn’t have anything to do with a huge buck. Or an extraordinary shot he took.
Instead, his story centers on an animal he mistook for a coyote and shot — a creature that appears to be a wolf.
For now, the Missouri Department of Conservation isn’t sure just what he killed — a wild wolf that had done some serious traveling or an escaped pet. Perhaps a wolf-dog hybrid.
Resource scientists have collected tissue and hair for DNA analysis, and they’re contacting wildlife biologists from nearby states that have wolves to get a clue to where this animal came from.
But one thing they’re certain of: This definitely isn’t the type of tale they hear often during the Missouri deer season.
“Never in a million years would I have thought I’d see a wolf when I was out deer hunting,” said Protenic, 34, of Smithville. “I’ve hunted there in Carroll County for eight years now, and I know a lot of the people in the area.
“No one I talked to has ever seen anything that looks like a wolf or talked to anyone who might have one as a pet. This is a real mystery.
“When I first saw it, it just looked like a big coyote.”
Protenic, who was properly licensed to hunt both deer and coyotes, realized he had something far different when he got down from the tower stand he was hunting in Saturday, opening day of the firearms deer season.
He had seen few wolves before. They’re not supposed to be in Missouri.
Though they long ago inhabited the state, they disappeared in the late 1800s due to habitat loss and unregulated hunting. Today, they’re listed as a protected species in Missouri.
But wolves survived and even thrived in Minnesota. From there they spread to neighboring states, such as Wisconsin and Michigan. Still, wolves are listed as a federally endangered species in most of the lower 48 states.
The last time a gray wolf was reported in Missouri was in 2001, when a young animal was mistakenly shot in Grundy County. That wolf had a radio collar and its origin was traced to Michigan.
Could Missouri have attracted another wayward wolf? Missouri officials aren’t sure.
But initial clues indicate it may have been a wild animal.
“The animal was covered in lice, and most captive wolves are generally parasite free,” said Jeff Beringer, a resource scientist for the Department of Conservation. “We also found no wear spots in the elbows, which is common on captive wolves and other animals that spend a lot of time lying around.”
The wolf, a male, weighed 104 pounds and appeared to be 3 years old, Beringer said.
No form of identification — tattoo, ear tag or microchip — was found.
Protenic immediately called a conservation agent and feared he might be in trouble. But no state charges are pending against the hunter.
Wildlife officials expect DNA results to be back in about a week. Then they’ll have a better idea of what they have and perhaps where it came from.
“I’m really interested to hear what they find out,” Protenic said. “If it was a wild animal, it had to travel a long way out of its normal range to get here.”
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/11/19/2454173/is-missouri-where-the-wild-wolves.html
The Kansas City Star
Nov. 19, 2010
When Andrew Protenic looks back on the 2010 Missouri deer season, he’ll have quite a tale to tell.
No, it doesn’t have anything to do with a huge buck. Or an extraordinary shot he took.
Instead, his story centers on an animal he mistook for a coyote and shot — a creature that appears to be a wolf.
For now, the Missouri Department of Conservation isn’t sure just what he killed — a wild wolf that had done some serious traveling or an escaped pet. Perhaps a wolf-dog hybrid.
Resource scientists have collected tissue and hair for DNA analysis, and they’re contacting wildlife biologists from nearby states that have wolves to get a clue to where this animal came from.
But one thing they’re certain of: This definitely isn’t the type of tale they hear often during the Missouri deer season.
“Never in a million years would I have thought I’d see a wolf when I was out deer hunting,” said Protenic, 34, of Smithville. “I’ve hunted there in Carroll County for eight years now, and I know a lot of the people in the area.
“No one I talked to has ever seen anything that looks like a wolf or talked to anyone who might have one as a pet. This is a real mystery.
“When I first saw it, it just looked like a big coyote.”
Protenic, who was properly licensed to hunt both deer and coyotes, realized he had something far different when he got down from the tower stand he was hunting in Saturday, opening day of the firearms deer season.
He had seen few wolves before. They’re not supposed to be in Missouri.
Though they long ago inhabited the state, they disappeared in the late 1800s due to habitat loss and unregulated hunting. Today, they’re listed as a protected species in Missouri.
But wolves survived and even thrived in Minnesota. From there they spread to neighboring states, such as Wisconsin and Michigan. Still, wolves are listed as a federally endangered species in most of the lower 48 states.
The last time a gray wolf was reported in Missouri was in 2001, when a young animal was mistakenly shot in Grundy County. That wolf had a radio collar and its origin was traced to Michigan.
Could Missouri have attracted another wayward wolf? Missouri officials aren’t sure.
But initial clues indicate it may have been a wild animal.
“The animal was covered in lice, and most captive wolves are generally parasite free,” said Jeff Beringer, a resource scientist for the Department of Conservation. “We also found no wear spots in the elbows, which is common on captive wolves and other animals that spend a lot of time lying around.”
The wolf, a male, weighed 104 pounds and appeared to be 3 years old, Beringer said.
No form of identification — tattoo, ear tag or microchip — was found.
Protenic immediately called a conservation agent and feared he might be in trouble. But no state charges are pending against the hunter.
Wildlife officials expect DNA results to be back in about a week. Then they’ll have a better idea of what they have and perhaps where it came from.
“I’m really interested to hear what they find out,” Protenic said. “If it was a wild animal, it had to travel a long way out of its normal range to get here.”
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/11/19/2454173/is-missouri-where-the-wild-wolves.html
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