Cougars, Bison, and Cows

The Random Animal has been sucked into the vortex of work deadlines. Do non-human animals have deadlines? There are biological imperatives: breed now, eat now, hibernate now. I suppose if a deer doesn't make it from the cornfield to the woods before a hunter shoots, she's literally met a deadline.
A more serious deadline has been encountered by the Eastern cougar, now considered extinct, as reported by The Huffinton Post. Bison, however, have returned in large enough numbers to the Plains and the West that they can be hunted again by Native American Tribes . (Some animal advocates are against all hunting, while others support hunting that is "traditional" and considered part of an indigenous group's regular sustenance. For others, like the environmentalist Aldo Leopold, hunting should suit ecological balance: all positions can seem logical--or a strange game of hair splitting with fungible categories.)
And the family farm remains endangered. But a relative sent me a link about dairy farms in Maine, much like the one I grew up on. Farmers in Washington County, according to the New York Times are trying to control their own destinies and tap into the locavore movement. It is not an easy life; these people have dedication to pursue their dream of a successful MOO coop. A video shows some stark winter scenes in Maine dairy country. I remember the thick coats of cows allowed to go outside. A gentle storm would blanket them, and they seemed reluctant to move, for then the blanket would fall to the ground.
I once saw a bison in winter. That enormous head swivels back and forth in the snow, sweeping it to the sides. All for the crispy-cold grasses beneath.