Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Carnivora

Fortunately, this Cougar was seen at the Calgary Zoo, on 3 November 2014, and not in the wild! Well, at least lucky for me, but not for the Cougar. The Zoo has a pair of these powerful animals and every time I see them, I can't help but feel very thankful that I've never come across one in the wild. I always say that I would rather come across a Bear than a Cougar, any day! I always find these animals difficult to photograph, as they are usually striding along in their enclosure. Also, when other people are watching, too, their reflections in the glass spoil any shots you try to take. Every once in a while, I manage to get a shot that turns out OK. "This powerful predator roams the Americas, where it is also known as a puma, cougar, mountain lion and catamount. This big cat of many names is also found in many habitats, from Florida swamps to Canadian forests. Mountain lions like to prey on deer, though they also eat smaller animals such as coyotes, porcupines, and raccoons. They usually hunt at night or during the gloaming hours of dawn and dusk. These cats employ a blend of stealth and power, stalking their prey until an opportunity arrives to pounce, then going for the back of the neck with a fatal bite. They will hide large carcasses and feed on them for several days. Mountain lions once roamed nearly all of the United States. They were prized by hunters and despised by farmers and ranchers who suffered livestock losses at their hands. Subsequently, by the dawn of the 20th century, mountain lions were eliminated from nearly all of their range in the Midwest and Eastern U.S.—though the endangered Florida panther survives. Today, whitetail deer populations have rebounded over much of the mountain lion's former range and a few animals have appeared in more eastern states such as Missouri and Arkansas. Some biologists believe that these big cats could eventually recolonize much of their Midwest and Eastern range—if humans allow them to do so. In most western U.S. states and Canadian provinces, populations are considered sustainable enough to allow managed sport hunting. Mountain lions require a lot of room—only a few cats can survive in a 30-square-mile (78-square-kilometer) range. They are solitary and shy animals, seldom seen by humans. While they do occasionally attack people—usually children or solitary adults—statistics show that, on average, there are only four attacks and one human fatality each year in all of the U.S. and Canada." From National Geographic website. animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/mountain-l...

Fortunately, this Cougar was seen at The Calgary Zoo on 6 October 2014, and not in the wild! Well, at least lucky for me, but not for the Cougar. The Zoo has a pair of these powerful animals and every time I see them, I can't help but feel very thankful that I've never come across one in the wild. "This powerful predator roams the Americas, where it is also known as a puma, cougar, mountain lion and catamount. This big cat of many names is also found in many habitats, from Florida swamps to Canadian forests. Mountain lions like to prey on deer, though they also eat smaller animals such as coyotes, porcupines, and raccoons. They usually hunt at night or during the gloaming hours of dawn and dusk. These cats employ a blend of stealth and power, stalking their prey until an opportunity arrives to pounce, then going for the back of the neck with a fatal bite. They will hide large carcasses and feed on them for several days. Mountain lions once roamed nearly all of the United States. They were prized by hunters and despised by farmers and ranchers who suffered livestock losses at their hands. Subsequently, by the dawn of the 20th century, mountain lions were eliminated from nearly all of their range in the Midwest and Eastern U.S.—though the endangered Florida panther survives. Today, whitetail deer populations have rebounded over much of the mountain lion's former range and a few animals have appeared in more eastern states such as Missouri and Arkansas. Some biologists believe that these big cats could eventually recolonize much of their Midwest and Eastern range—if humans allow them to do so. In most western U.S. states and Canadian provinces, populations are considered sustainable enough to allow managed sport hunting. Mountain lions require a lot of room—only a few cats can survive in a 30-square-mile (78-square-kilometer) range. They are solitary and shy animals, seldom seen by humans. While they do occasionally attack people—usually children or solitary adults—statistics show that, on average, there are only four attacks and one human fatality each year in all of the U.S. and Canada." From National Geographic website. animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/mountain-l...

Taken on 15 May 2014, during a two day trip to the Rocky Mountains, W of Calgary, with friends, Cathy and Terry. "The coyote appears often in the tales and traditions of Native Americans—usually as a very savvy and clever beast. Modern coyotes have displayed their cleverness by adapting to the changing American landscape. These members of the dog family once lived primarily in open prairies and deserts, but now roam the continent's forests and mountains. They have even colonized cities like Los Angeles, and are now found over most of North America. Coyote populations are likely at an all-time high. These adaptable animals will eat almost anything. They hunt rabbits, rodents, fish, frogs, and even deer. They also happily dine on insects, snakes, fruit, grass, and carrion. Because they sometimes kill lambs, calves, or other livestock, as well as pets, many ranchers and farmers regard them as destructive pests." From National Geographic. animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/coyote/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote

Flickr friend, Ron, was kind enough to take me with him this morning, when he went to see this wonderful family of Red Foxes. Ron, I shouldn't have jokingly said that what I need, is for my photos from today to come out blurry so that I might have to force myself to try the drive myself some time. Guess what! Hardly any of the pics came out sharp - most were blurry and I mean quite blurry. No idea WHY! Still, I am so thrilled to have even a few photos of these gorgeous creatures - just adorable! Thanks SO much for the opportunity, Ron! Much appreciated, to put it mildly!

Yesterday afternoon, I called in at the Calgary Zoo, and found one of the beautiful, endangered Amur Tiger cubs (born on 30 March 2012) feasting on some rather disgusting looking part of an animal. The adult female and this cub's two siblings were also all in the small, separate enclosure, spending time relaxing in the sun. Poor Mom could barely keep awake - and no wonder, with three energetic youngsters to look after. Every once in a while, one of the other cubs would slowly inch towards the feeding cub, hoping to get the food for itself, but the cub in my photo did a great job of defending his meal. The colour of this cub is exaggerated in my photo - there were so many people viewing through the glass and so many people seem to wear white or light coloured clothing, which reflects horribly in the dirty glass. Took two or three of my photos using a different setting, resulting in more vivid colour, but at least I was able to capture better detail. Later note added on 7 October 2012: Tigers that used to be known as Siberian Tigers are now known as Amur Tigers. The name change is because their range now only includes the Amur Valley in Eastern Siberia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_tiger Wishing my family and friends, and all Canadians everywhere, a very Happy Thanksgiving. We have SO much to be thankful for, even in difficult or sad times. Enjoy this long weekend - and if you are driving, please drive carefully and don't drink and drive!

The three endangered Amur Tiger cubs, born on 30 March 2012, have grown so quickly. Though perhaps not as cute as when they were first allowed out for the public to see, it is still fun to watch them play and intereact with Mum and each other.

I am so thankful that I got this photo through glass and not out in the wild, ha! So far, I've never come across a Cougar while out on a walk or hike. Would prefer to come across a bear than one of these big cats, anyday. Taken at the Calgary Zoo on 8 September 2012, a day of very harsh sunlight - most of my photos from that day did not come out. Thinking of the victims of 9/11 and their families today. A day people will never forget.

Much as I don't like seeing zoo "bars" in my photos, there is nothing I can do about it sometimes : ) This is one of the three beautiful, endangered Amur Tiger cubs, born March 30, 2012 at the Calgary Zoo. What a sad, sad day it would be if these majestic animals became extinct. Just occurred to me that this photo might give the impression that the cub is "depressed". Trust me, all three are such fun to watch because they are so active and playful and when Mum is there, too, they love to climb all over her, including when she is enjoying the small pool in that part of the enclosure.

The adult female (i.e. Mom) made her way into the tiny pool in this separated area that is used when certain of the Amur Tigers at the Calgary Zoo have to be kept away from the other adult Tigers. Her three cubs, born March 30, 2012, joined her instantly and had great fun climbing over her back and playing with her tail - they love it in there! Photographed though a very dirty window with reflections of all the people watching in front of me and behind me, but a little darkening made it fit to post : ) Taken on 21 August 2012.

Yesterday was a wonderful (17 hour!) day of scenery and bears, thanks to good friends Cathy and Terry, who so kindly invited me along with them! We even spent some of the time in B.C. (British Columbia), the next province to our west, and were so lucky to see six bears in total, including this Black Bear and her two gorgeous cubs. As you can see, one of these little ones was a Cinnamon Bear, which you don't see very often. Our first Bear was a Black Bear that looked rather like a huge rock in the distance. The second sighting was an adult Cinnamon Bear, after which we saw an adult Black Bear. The final sighting was this beautiful family of Mum with her two cubs. None of the Bears approached cars, hoping for food. They quietly went about their feeding, for the most part without even lifting their eyes from the ground. The usual "thoughtless" people were there, too, getting out of their cars and approaching, so that they could get closer photos. Of course, these cubs were so cute, but all these Bears are wild and wildlife tends to be unpredictable. You really would think that people could keep this in mind and not approach, but stay safely in their cars - and give the animals plenty of space and respect. The weather was so good yesterday, but the sun was very harsh and played havoc with my images. However, I will pick out a few of the "better" ones and eventually post them. Thanks SO much, Cathy and Terry, for such an amazing day out - it was so much fun, and I can't thank you enough for giving me the chance to see (and photograph) these wild animals that were so busy going about their lives. Perhaps I should add that I used full zoom (32x), lol!!! I didn't crop this particular image, but will be cropping some of the others. Another thing I'll add is that I only remember ever seeing one Bear and that must have been 30 or 32 years ago! This one is to wish everyone out there a very happy Mother's Day. Whether one has children or not, we all have, or have had, a Mother, whether she is still around or not. Being a Mother is the hardest job in the world - ask any man who has taken on this work, whether for a week or for years : ) My own Mother died in 1998, but I still think of her often, and I know I always will - same with my Father. Happy Mother's Day! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_black_bear

This beautiful white Timber Wolf lives with two black Wolves at the Calgary Zoo. I would love to see a Wolf in the wild. 'The grey wolf or gray wolf (Canis lupus), also known as the timber wolf or simply wolf, is a mammal of the order Carnivora. The gray wolf is the largest wild member of the Canidae family and an ice age survivor originating during the Late Pleistocene around 300,000 years ago. DNA sequencing and genetic drift studies indicate that the gray wolf shares a common ancestry with the domestic dog, (Canis lupus familiaris) and might be its ancestor." "Though once abundant over much of Eurasia and North America, the gray wolf inhabits a very small portion of its former range because of widespread destruction of its habitat, human encroachment of its habitat, and the resulting human-wolf encounters that sparked broad extirpation. Considered as a whole, however, the gray wolf is regarded as being of least concern for extinction according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Today, wolves are protected in some areas, hunted for sport in others, or may be subject to extermination as perceived threats to livestock and pets." From Wikipedia.