Our animal neighbors

August foal in the big herd.  We call him Augie., Photo by Mark Stambaugh of Weaver Real Estate.  More wild horse photos at blog: WHOA!Wild horses of Alto at http://wildhorsesofalto.blogspot.com/

It has been reported in the Ruidoso Newspaper over and over again "DO NOT FEED THE DEER OR THE HORSES".  We all know that corn in the belly of the fawns will swell up and cause them to be unable to eat nutritious food.  So they die.  Whole corn will kill  pigeons and doves, also.  When the bird tries to eat it, the corn gets stuck in their craw and ferments making the birds die a slow ugly death.  Chicken scratch, cracked corn and sunflower seeds are not harmful to birds.

The deer and horses are WILD animals.  They may appear tame enough to eat from your hand, but even a small sound can scare them and make them skittish.  And there you are standing in front of the animal.   What if it is your small child standing there?  Two dogs and one woman have been seriously hurt by the deer in our subdivision.  Just remember these are wild animals.

Grandma chowing down on old deer antlers. Must have needed calcium.

Mule deer fawn

Also, some of our visitors in the nightly rental houses think it is funny to scare the deer.  They attract them to the yard with CORN, which is bad enough, but then hit their key fob and make the car horn start honking to frighten the deer to death.  At another rental, a guy threw a rock a deer and he must have thrown it hard like a baseball or maybe it was a very large rock.  He KILLED her.  Supposedly he got a ticket from the Game Warden, but that didn't help that poor deer.  What if she had a fawn?

Elk fawn

Another death to report - one home owner heard there was a rabid fox in Alto (and yes, there was ONE rabid fox in Alto Lakes Golf & Country Club, but it is dead now).  SO, this fellow decides that the fox that goes through his yard every night is so bold and not scared, it must be have rabies.  He shot it.  I heard his grandkids were shooting at it also.  A dead fox was discovered days later under a neighbor's deck.  #1. Foxes are a protected fur-bearing animal with a hunting season (Nov. 1 to March 15) according to the N.M. Game and Fish.  You must purchase a license to hunt/shoot a fox.  You are not allowed to take a fox out of hunting season because they are having their offspring.  This particular fox had kits at the end of my road.  #2. According to the N.M. Game and Fish website, you are not allowed to shoot a gun within 150 yards of a dwelling or building without permission from the owner or lessee.  Source: http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/

In Sun Valley, a rafter of turkeys has been sighted.  In La Junta, a bobcat  was sighted.  There may be a mountain lion around - Grandma deer was killed.  And a bear has been sighted in several locations in the subdivisions.

 Everybody wants to interact with and see the wildlife.  It's part of why people visit and move here.  There is no wildlife in the concrete world.  But please, DON'T come here and kill the critters. 

Be a good neighbor to the deer, horses and all wildlife.  Take pictures, but keep your distance for your safety and theirs.