Llama, Alpaca, and a Bear-Banger
It’s January, the dead of winter, two degrees Celsius! So cold! As I looked at old photos, I longed for warmer weather and reminisced.
They reminded me of the close relationship our llama, Alpaca-chino (or ‘Al’) and Buddy, our alpaca, had with our goats.
Two different herd animals who watched, trumpeted, and provided protection when predators were nearby.
Llama and alpaca are amazing guard animals. They trumpet or sound the alarm when bears and coyotes (i.e., predators) wandered into our pastures. Our goats knew Al’s and Buddy’s trumpet sound meant trouble. They gathered and stood close to their good shepherds.
When I heard Al and Buddy, I knew intervention was necessary.
I used, and continue to use, bear-bangers to deter predators.
A bear-banger, like a firecracker, is an explosive device. Its purpose is to produce a loud noise, or bang, to scare the predator away while causing no harm.
Our livestock understood the sound meant that the calvary had arrived to protect them, too.
The small plastic container holds the contents of a bear-banger (or mini-explosive).
It screws onto the end of a pen-like, hand-held device.
Firing a bear-banger involves aiming, holding, and releasing the launcher. The built-in spring device launches the cannister’s contents into the air, causing it to explode.
Bang!
The predator would often run to the bush after just one loud bang.
Other times, a second bear-banger was necessary!
The biggest concern when launching a bear-banger was to do so without causing a fire.
Like a firecracker, a spark is present. Summer fuels of grasses, leaves, tree branches covered with dried moss were abundant flammables.
Thus, firing into the sky between dried tree branches while considering wind direction was tricky.
I had many opportunities to perfect the launch.
Safety of the animals and the environment was paramount.
Following the predator’s disappearance, the livestock grazed and browsed again.
Meanwhile, after firing the device, my nerves remained jangled. However, all animals (including the predator) were safe, and so was the environment.
Win-Win for all!
However, I knew I wouldn’t be drinking coffee anytime soon.
