April 2009 | Page 8

Photo Left: River 3 Copyright by Don Simon

If you happen to venture down to Los Angeles this weekend for the Blessing of the Animals at Olvera Street be sure to stop by the Timothy Yarger Fine Art Gallery to view the art work of Don Simon who is a unique environmental artist.

His work is considered to be NATURE 2.O–the recognition and celebration of new era in art, environmental awareness, and community action.

This exhibition is also a unique collaboration between artist, community leaders, environmental activists, and the fine art community of Los Angeles since the proceeds from the exhibition will benefit Million Trees LA, a project of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

This Beverly Hills exhibition is the latest evolution in Don Simon’s Unnaturalism Series and will be on display until April 24, 2009 (my birthday!).

Don Simon uses colored pencils and a surrealistic style to speak about the conflict between nature and industry to illustrate the concept that mankind has been less than kind to their cohabitants on the planet.

“Humans build, produce and consume with little or no regard to the impact it has on the environment. It is the nature of nature to adapt and evolve in order to survive, and we are forcing other species to deal with compromised, damaged or destroyed ecosystems.”

Accomplishments include:

Receipt of the prestigious New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship in 2008.
A Full Artist Fellowship from the Vermont Studio Center in 2008.

Don’s work has appeared in solo and group shows and in galleries and museums across the country and Europe and some of his previous venues include:

Verge – The Bridge Art Fair Berlin, Germany.
Pentimenti Gallery, Philadelphia, PA.
L.A. Art Show
Windham Fine Arts, Windham, NY.

In addition, his work has twice been selected for publication in New American Paintings and he has been published as an Emerging Artist of 2006 in Direct Art magazine, and in the ArtPeriscope Calendar.

Don Simon’s work is also curated and published for European distribution out of Czestochowa, Poland.

If you are an art buff don’t miss this show.

Blog Posted April 8, 2009 at 7:01 pm

Cougar Attack: Study Disputes Traditional Thinking

An article revealing the statistics behind cougar attacks has just been published in Antrozoos.

The effects of human age, group composition, and behavior on the likelihood of being injured by attacking pumas seems to contradict the standard response to the threat of a cougar attack.

Some of the cougar study statistics were previously revealed in the book, Cougar Attacks (2004) by Kathy Eling.

For instance, some of the statistics revealed from cougar attacks in the book were:

Percentage of children most likely to be: killed 29% severely injured 56%
Percentage of adults mostly likely to be: killed 18% severely injured 19%
Percentage of solitary individuals most likely to be: killed 36% severely injured 55%
Percentage of group members likely to be: killed 14% severely injured 55%

Ultimately, solitary people were determined to be three times as likely to be attacked or to have an encounter versus people in pairs or larger groups.

Only groups of five or more were found to be less likely to be attacked unless the groups contained children.

Immobility increased the likelihood of death (23%) and severe injury (43%).

The new paper indicated that noise making such as yelling at the cougar is useful.

Is this study definitive?

That is hard to say since each situation is unique and how you deal with a wild animal attack threat would vary with the animal and the situation.

It could be confusing–since the standard advice is to stand your ground.

Prey species that run usually trigger an attack response from a predator but cougars tend to be stealthy and surprise their prey.

The study confirms the fact that hiking in groups is more beneficial from a safety perspective BUT predators will always target the weak and the young even in groups.

More information about cougar attacks can be found in:

Coss, R. G., Fitzhugh, E. L., Schmid-Holmes, S., Kenyon, M. W., & Etling, K. (2009).
The effects of human age, group composition, and behavior on the likelihood of being injured by attacking pumas. Anthrozoös 22, 77-87.

Cougar Attack Tips at Ark Animals

Cougar Attack History & Mountain Lion Attack Statistics at Ark Animals

Blog Posted April 8, 2009 at 1:38 pm