Chooks!

Hi there,

It's Bec from the down under again, thought I would just clarify for those of you who don't quite know what Chooks are. They are chickens, I guess it is an Aussie slang the word 'chook'. I have grown up with it my whole life and had to laugh when a few of you didn't know what they were. I guess it is like a coyote, I have no idea what that is. Is it a dog or something? If there are any other aussies in the lounge I would be interested to know if their kittys eat vegemite. My persians love vegemite on toast in the mornings (how australian)

Chooks equals chickens! Good one - learned something new this morning! Thanks Rebecca!

But I wasn't sure . . .

Thanks for the explanation. Sometimes we really show our ignorance of cultures other than North American.

You mentioned coyotes...they are kind of like a wild dog, never have been tamed. They are closer to wolves than dogs, really, but smaller and more loners. They are only found in North America, and all over North America. They are generally considered vermin, as they have been known to take small farm animals like chickens, lambs, and the like. They are generally shy, intelligent, and not a threat to people.

Heidi,

You posted one with it's winter coat and one with it summer coat? Am I right?

Oh. What a shame to consider such a beautiful animals vermin. However, I do understand the problems facing farmers and the like. We have similar problems with foxes.

Infact, my mother's ex-stray was attached by a fox and nearly lost a back leg.

I stole those pics from different websites, and yes one is summer, one is winter. The top one if from a desert animals site, and the bottom one is about Canadian wildlife.

Yola - they are beautiful creatures, but have absolutely no shame. They are scavengers, pure and simple. They do hunt, mainly rodents and rabbits, but if they can get a free or easy meal they will - they're not picky. They can survive in almost any climate, or situation. Sometimes we have said that in the end there will only be cockroaches and coyotes.

Hey thanks for the info on coyotes. I did not know they were a dog/ wolf and native to North America. Yes we are ignorant to different cultures around the world, that is the beauty of the internet being able to learn so many things about other people. In Adelaide, we have problems with foxes, there is no food left for them in the hills so they have come down to suburbia to feed, it is not uncommon to see foxes wandering the city streets at early hours of the morning. They too, are considered vermin but I cant help feel sorry for them, they have such pretty faces.

Coyotes have adapted very well, to urban life. I have seen them, in the middle of the city. They have a tendency to be rabid, though and like to snack on small pets. Animal Control removes them, frequently.

There was a case in Phoenix, last year where a coyote walked through the open door of a house and tried to make off with a baby. The father got the baby away and the coyote was destroyed. This is the only time in my life, that I've heard of a coyote entering an inhabited house or, attacking a child.

Yes, it is amazing how coyotes have adapted. They are common east of Cleveland, which becomes rural pretty quickly. However, one day I was driving home, in the inner suburbs, and saw a coyote sitting on the side of the road, just watching the traffic go by. Everyone was rubbernecking, staring back at the coyote.

Coyotes are found in all 48 contiguous states. During the past few years, they have been reported repopulating the Northeast.

Twenty-five years ago, I had a roommate who had a pet one. Tammy had been raised, from a pup and was a very good watchdog. She did not bark but snuck up behind trespassers and chomped them.

Here in Arizona coyote-wolf-shepherd mix puppies go for high prices. Supposedly, they are good pets but, there have been reports of these hybrids turning on family members.

Hmm,

well in respone to the Coyote dilemma, we here down under mainly in the middle of the Australian desert, we have a similar problem with dingoes. A wild dog. You many recall the huge court case here in Australia back in the early 70's. A dingo supposedly 'took and killed a baby' It was baby Azaria! Alot of people did not believe that a dingo took this baby, others believed that the mother murdered her baby. The court case went for years and eventually we were informed that a dingo had actually krept into a tent where the baby was sleeping and took the baby. Dingoes are very wild and can never be tamed. They are in all our zoos here in Australia. I believe they were introduced from Britain origianlly from the 'first fleet' that arrived on australian soil and bred and bred from there.
I believe some people out in the bush feed them but they have a nature of the nomad and never hang around one place for long period. In Australia we have what is called a 'Dingo fence' that runs from basically one state to another to keep the dingoes out.
Anyway just thought you maybe be interested in a dog which is in a similar situation to our dingoes.

Bec.