- 3 - 



5-17-32 



But in nany places, the "bobcats donH confine thonselvcs to IdLHing 

 wild life. They proy on poultry and pigs and calves and sheep. In fact, 

 l.(r, Yo-ung says thoy often do their worst danage axiong slieep at laj.-dng tine, 

 especially on the open range where lanhing grounds are often near broken, 

 rocky canyons or rirjrock that just suits the bobcats for hide-outs. Sheejv- 

 raen often choose such rugged country for lanbing grounds because it ai'fords 

 protection against storms. 



The bobcat snealcs into a f lode of sheep under cover of darkness and 

 goes about his ld.lling in a way that causes little connotion. It kills 

 the lanb with a bite on the baclc of the neck or head, and then pulls it 

 down to eat it. The worst of it is that the bobcat often doesnH confire it- 

 self to nerely killing for food. It often ld.lls for the nere lust of IdLlling. 

 If that lust is not satisfied with one lanb the predator keeps qiuLetly at 

 work. Mr. Young says a single bobcat has been Imown to Id. 11 38 lanbs that 

 way in one night. 



But the wild cats are not the only animals that prey on sheep at 

 lanbing tine. Our wild dogs, the wolves and the coyotes, are responsible 

 for such heavy losses that controlling then also often becones a natter of 

 stem necessity, 



Mr, Young says that people used to think that coyotes, for instance, 

 only attacked donestic stock when there was a shortage of such natural food 

 as rabbits, But recQnt evidence of attacks on flocks, seens to indicate that 

 the coyote^s appetite for sheep is just too strong. They just canU resist 

 a fat lanb, no natter how nach gane or other neat nay be readily available. 



The dar:iage to flocks is especially serious because whelping for the 

 coyotes cones at the sane tine as lanbing for the sheep. The old coyotes 

 then kill and eat lanbs for the pups at hone in their dens as well as for 

 theusc Ive s . 



TliOre are other interesting things you would like to hear about those 

 wild aninals wo call predators. Perhaps we can strike the trail again sone 

 tine with the Biological Survey's workers, but this ends today's excursion. 

 If you need to know nore about the country's wild aninals, send yovoc ques- 

 tions to the Biological Survey of the United States Departnent of Agricult-oxe 

 or to your local radio station. 



ijmOUNCSIffilTT: The discussion of the dogs and cats of the wilds to wMch you 

 have just listened has cone to you fron the United States Departnent of Agri- 

 culture, Two weeks fron today. Station ^will present another 



of these visits with Uncle San's Naturalists, 



