{"id":889,"date":"2012-08-30T14:53:13","date_gmt":"2012-08-30T21:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.venturacountytrails.org\/WP\/?p=889"},"modified":"2022-08-03T10:41:53","modified_gmt":"2022-08-03T17:41:53","slug":"ucla-grad-student-fights-to-save-local-bobcats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/venturacountytrails.org\/WP\/2012\/08\/30\/ucla-grad-student-fights-to-save-local-bobcats\/","title":{"rendered":"UCLA grad student fights to save local bobcats"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Rat poison, ingested secondhand, threatens already dwindling population<\/strong><\/p>\n

Source of this article: The Thousand Oaks Acorn<\/a>, August 30, 2012<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

CATCH- AND- RELEASE\u2014 Laurel Serieys with a female bobcat she trapped in Topanga Canyon this year.<\/p><\/div>\n

A doctorate student at UCLA is asking Ventura County homeowners to think twice before using rat poison.<\/p>\n

Laurel Serieys is in the midst of a six-year research project that\u2019s revealing how the toxic substance is affecting the area\u2019s already dwindling bobcat population.<\/p>\n

Since 2006, the 32-yearold has caught and released roughly 60 of the furry felines\u2014 many in the Santa Monica Mountains\u2014 as part of a study to determine the effect urban development is having on the health of the animals, which now number around 300 in the Greater Los Angeles area.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cumbersome, time-intensive and requires a lot of patience,\u201d said Serieys, who is pursuing a doctorate degree in ecology and evolutionary biology. \u201cI\u2019ve caught foxes, raccoons, coyotes, predatory birds, possums, domestic cats, skunks. . . . It\u2019s super exciting when I actually catch a bobcat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of her research focuses on the use of rat poison, which, when ingested by the large cats, increases their susceptibility to notoedric mange, a highly contagious, parasitic skin disease that can eventually lead to death.<\/p>\n

When homeowners use rat poison to exterminate rodents, the carnivorous bobcats\u2014who eat those rodents\u2014pay the price.<\/p>\n

\u201cBobcats that are exposed to rat poisons are more than nine times likely to die from mange than other causes of death,\u201d Serieys said. \u201cWhat is it about rat poison that makes the bobcats more susceptible to the disease? That\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to figure out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

MOM AND HER KITTENS\u2014A 2011 photo by wildlife photographer Barry Rowan shows a family of bobcats investigating a fallen tree. Many of Rowan\u2019s images of bobcats living in the Santa Monica Mountains are being sold to help the research efforts of Laurel Serieys, a UCLA doctorate student.<\/p><\/div>\n

The researcher has seen the effects of mange firsthand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI caught three (bobcats) that were so sick I had to bring them to a rehabilitation center,\u201d said Serieys, a Los Angeles resident who works with the Wildlife Care of Ventura County and California Wildlife Center to save the sick animals she finds.<\/p>\n

She said her findings are clear.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Notoedric mange) is causing the population to decline,\u201d Serieys said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not just affecting bobcats. It\u2019s affecting wildlife across California.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 1996, the National Park Service has been studying bobcats in the Santa Monica Mountains, focusing specifically on the T.O. and Agoura Hills regions.<\/p>\n

\u201cMange has caused a significant population decline in that area,\u201d Serieys said. \u201cFrom 2001 to 2006, more than 50 percent of radio-collared bobcats died of mange in Thousand Oaks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Safe alternatives<\/strong><\/p>\n

On her website, www.urbancarnivores.com<\/a>, Serieys urges homeowners to practice poison- free, environmentally friendly extermination methods. The best way to control pests, she advises, is to encourage natural predators like owls.<\/p>\n

\u201cNesting boxes and perches . . . can be installed around your home,\u201d Serieys said.<\/p>\n

Homeowners can also take preventive measures.<\/p>\n

\u201cRodentproof your home. Cover up holes. Remove unnecessary vegetation and trash in your yard that could be homes for small mammals.<\/p>\n

If ground squirrels are a problem, remove food and water sources such as bird feeders and baths.\u201d<\/p>\n

If none of that works?<\/p>\n

\u201cTry mechanical traps,\u201d she said. \u201cWooden snap traps and electric zappers are good for in-home use.\u201d<\/p>\n

And for those pesky rodents that just won\u2019t quit?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to bring someone else in,\u201d she said. \u201cI encourage people to contact pest control companies that use integrated pest management practices (where) poisons are used only as the very last resort. . . . Let them decide if it\u2019s necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funding her research<\/strong><\/p>\n

Serieys has joined forces with the National Park Service as well as wildlife photographer Barry Rowan to bring awareness to the bobcats\u2019 plight.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy biggest hope is that people realize these animals are out there . . . (and) they\u2019re worth saving,\u201d said Rowan, who holds a master\u2019s degree in biology.<\/p>\n

The 36-year-old, who became interested in the animals about six years ago when he witnessed a bobcat during a bird-watching excursion, now sells his photos to support Serieys\u2019 research.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving been in grad school, I know how good of a feeling it is when people support (your) research,\u201d said the photographer, whose work ranges in price from $100 to $300. \u201cI wanted to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four months ago, Serieys collected a dead bobcat from the backyard of Beverly Hills resident Susan Gottlieb, the owner of the G2 Gallery in Venice.<\/p>\n

She offered to host a show of Rowan\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

The exhibit, which features 32 photos, opened Aug. 11 and runs through Sept. 14.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Serieys\u2019) work will not only benefit bobcats but other wildlife as well,\u201d said Gottlieb, who called Rowan\u2019s work \u201cexquisite.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cats are just amazing to look at.\u201d<\/p>\n

Serieys plans to finish her dissertation early next year.<\/p>\n

Until then, the cat lover will continue her research and her efforts to educate homeowners about the serious collateral damage caused by rat poison.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe accumulation of information will change laws,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rat poison, ingested secondhand, threatens already dwindling population Source of this article: The Thousand Oaks Acorn, August 30, 2012 A doctorate student at UCLA is asking Ventura County homeowners to think twice before using rat poison. Laurel Serieys is in the midst of a six-year research project that\u2019s revealing how […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,25,19,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-environment","category-pollution","category-santa-monica-mountains","category-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/venturacountytrails.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/venturacountytrails.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/venturacountytrails.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/venturacountytrails.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/venturacountytrails.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=889"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/venturacountytrails.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3682,"href":"https:\/\/venturacountytrails.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889\/revisions\/3682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/venturacountytrails.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/venturacountytrails.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/venturacountytrails.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}