LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – It is not only people who must find a way to cope with the extreme heat breaking records in Southern Nevada for days. These temperatures also have an impact on wildlife.
“Really the only animal that is crazy enough to be out in the heat of the day is us,” contended Doug Nielsen with the Nevada Department of Wildlife.
When the heat of the day is extreme, wildlife comes out at night. A viewer shared home surveillance video from 3 a.m. Tuesday outside a home on Mt. Charleston. A mountain lion was caught on video passing by and when the coast was clear, a fox followed.
“Native species, as soon as it starts getting warm, they head for cover. A good example of that would be reptiles. They will come out early in the morning then as soon as the temperature gets too warm, then they will head to shade or burrows and they will spend the bulk of the day in the burrow,” Nielsen revealed.
Heat is something native species can adjust to. A much bigger issue is a lack of water.
“2020/2021 we had months and months with no water whatsoever and so the amount of water that was out in the desert was drastically impacted. Big horn sheep suffered immensely,” Nielsen recounted.
Since 1960s, man-made water developments have been strategically added to help wildlife throughout Nevada.
“They are designed to trap and store rainwater. The problem is we didn’t have rain,” Nielsen shared. During the height of the extreme drought, NDOW flew in tens of thousands of gallons of water. NDOW shared video of a haul is in the Muddy Mountains near Valley of Fire State Park, home to Nevada’s largest herd of desert bighorns.
NDOW says, though it is hot now don’t leave food or water out for wildlife trying to help. That can create a dependency, interfere with an animal’s natural instincts, and attract unwanted predators.
“Just let wildlife be wild. The wildlife for the most part has what it needs to survive in these challenging times. Yeah, we might lose a few…These animals have a tough life in a tough place, but they are built to do it,” Nielsen contended.
Right now, NDOW is monitoring water levels in the guzzlers, but currently have no plans to haul water.
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