Cold brings hungry antelope into townsby Associated Press, found at The Billings Gazette
December 10, 2009
An antelope wanders through the Avenues neighborhood in
central Cheyenne, Wyo., on Thursday. Unusually snowy and
cold weather has caused antelope and deer to take shelter in
many Wyoming cities and towns, often putting the wildlife in
the way of traffic. (Associated Press)CHEYENNE — The weather in southeast Wyoming has been so snowy and cold this fall that antelope are leaving their home on the range and moving into town.
All those trees and bushes are easy to eat compared to pawing through crusty snow for prairie forage. And the wind is a lot less harsh than out on the blustery plains.
This week, a handful of antelope have been causing traffic problems in the middle of Cheyenne. Two antelope wandering near Warren Avenue, a busy thoroughfare, caused at least one car to slam on its brakes Thursday.
As many as 120 antelope have been gathering in a subdivision in west Laramie.
“They eat anything that’s within their reach, tree limbs and things,” said one resident, Laramie Police Cmdr. Mitchell Cushman. “They finish up any grasses that are still showing up through the snow and move on.”
Cushman said he’s lived in the neighborhood 10 years and hasn’t seen anything like it.
It’s not unusual for antelope, deer, elk and even moose to wander into Wyoming towns during the winter. But it’s not yet winter and Cheyenne already has received 45 inches of snow this fall — 28 inches more than normal — according to the National Weather Service.
Combined with temperatures as low as 19 below, it’s not a good time to be an antelope.
There have been no reported die-offs, but Bob Lanka, a Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologist in Laramie, said it’s a possibility depending on what happens with the weather over the next several months.
“If it stays this cold and we continue to get snow in and around these winter ranges like we have, it could be — it could be a big impact,” Lanka said.
The department is urging drivers to keep their eyes open for wildlife and not drive too fast. It also discourages feeding the antelope, because doing so congregates the animals, increasing their vulnerability to disease and predators such as mountain lions.
Residents also shouldn’t let their dogs roam free and give chase to winter-weakened antelope, Lanka said.
Police and wildlife managers have few options for moving antelope out of town. Trying to herd them back onto the prairie would likely drive the animals into traffic, said Cheyenne Police Sgt. Nathan Buseck.
Tranquilizing the antelope isn’t a good idea, either. The Game and Fish Department has advised that it could be deadly because of the stress antelope already are under, Buseck said.
Tranquilizer darts also look like toys to children and missed darts need to be picked up. With several inches of snow on the ground, the process could be like finding a needle in a haystack.
“There’s really not a lot they can do,” Buseck said. “We just want people to drive carefully and pay attention.”
Ron Lout, who was shoveling snow Thursday, said antelope had been hanging around his Cheyenne home for a couple of days. So far, they’ve left his bushes alone.
“They’re welcome to it,” Lout said. “They can’t take the roots out, and they won’t be back in the summer.”
http://www.billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/article_02fd969a-e617-11de-827e-001cc4c03286.html
