Good drones, coyote living and a cow-chip lottery
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
OREGON
An unusually resourceful Oregon man, who got stranded in a remote area of the Willamette National Forest without cellphone service, came up with a clever way to alert rescuers: He attached his cellphone to the drone he just happened to have stashed away in his car, texted a friend explaining his predicament, then hit “send” and launched the drone until it flew high enough for his phone to connect to a cellphone tower. The message got through, the authorities were alerted, and a team was sent out to rescue the guy. And not just him, it turned out: They also discovered another driver who’d been stuck in the snow for several days, KTVB-TV reported. We will hazard a guess that the other marooned individual did not have a drone conveniently located in their rig.
WYOMING
What does a 300-pound grizzly want for breakfast after it wakes up from its long winter nap? Apparently not espresso and some avocado toast; Yellowstone Public Radio reported that Yellowstone Park officials clocked the first grizzly emerging from hibernation — “hi-bear-nation” seems more appropriate — near the remains of a bison carcass in Pelican Park in the central-eastern part of Yellowstone. The last time we visited Starbucks we didn’t see “sous vide bison and Gruyère egg bites” on the menu. Who knew bears were such big foodies?
THE WEST
In related hungry bear news, the National Park Service tweeted out an important PSA regarding reports of aggressive behavior among the bear population — and referencing traditional advice for how to avoid being eaten in the backcountry: “If you come across a bear, never push a slower friend down … even if you feel the friendship has run its course.” The tweet went viral, and PublicEditor.com, an internet satire site, even issued a helpful poster that reminds all of us: “Friends don’t use friends as bear bait.” Mere acquaintances, now … well, we suppose it depends.
MONTANA
Sometimes doing things the old-fashioned way has advantages. Case in point: Matt Jesson, a Livingston rancher, decided that rather than going to all the trouble of loading up and hauling his 150 cattle home from the grazing area they’d occupied for the last six months, he’d streamline the process and just drive the herd straight through downtown Livingston. Reviews were mixed, as one might imagine, with some locals unhappy about having a cow chip lottery down the main thoroughfare. But the headline in the Billings Gazette made up for it: “Udder chaos in Livingston: Local rancher moves his cattle through town the old-fashioned way.”
WASHINGTON
The Port Townsend Leader reported that a coyote tried checking into the Jefferson Healthcare Medical Center and caused quite a commotion. It was first spotted by the hospital’s marketing and communications director, Amy Yaley, who remarked that “it was hard not to notice.” The coyote entered through the main automatic doors, wandered into the express clinic, zipped down a hallway and then broke a glass panel trying to get out. It hid in the hospital’s outdoor courtyard but was eventually apprehended by the Center Valley Animal Rescue and transported to the vet clinic, where its lacerations were treated. And to think our health-care system gets a bad rap. We just hope the coyote had insurance.
NEVADA
Apparently, we’ve reached that surreal place in canine evolution when wild coyotes try to mix with society while pet pooches answer the call of the wild. In this heartwarming tale, The Sacramento Bee reported that a little white dog ran off to live with a pack of coyotes for seven months. The dog attracted national attention when a video of him running with a pack of coyotes outside Las Vegas went viral. Local residents posted videos and photos on Facebook tracking the adventurous pup’s progress, but they grew concerned when they realized he was limping. Susan McMullen of the Southern Nevada Trapping team helped capture the dog, which was treated and then placed with the Animal Foundation while authorities decided who to release him to: The Cabadas, the family who came forward after seeing their bull terrier — named “Hades,” perhaps for his hell-raising proclivities — on the news; or McMullen, who was looking after “Ghost,” as his Facebook followers called him. In the end, after a “bitter” custody battle, the Animal Foundation decided to return Hades/Ghost to the Cabadas, who provided ample evidence the dog was theirs. We hope his coyote friends get visitation rights; the family reunions will be wild.
Tiffany Midge is a citizen of the Standing Rock Nation and was raised by wolves in the Pacific Northwest. Her book, Bury My Heart at Chuck E. Cheese’s (Bison Books, 2019), was a Washington State Book Award nominee. She resides in north-central Idaho near the Columbia River Plateau, homeland of the Nimiipuu.
Tips of Western oddities are appreciated and often shared in this column. Write [email protected], or submit a letter to the editor.
