Now before you go taking offense to this post’s title, let me reassure you that it’s not directed specifically to you, dear reader. I know human beings are not infallible, yet only a few are irredeemable. No, the title is meant for the species Homo sapiens in general, as in…
Humankind, how do I hate thee, let me count the ways:
– I hate that whenever I walk quietly past a local pond, all the ducks, geese and herons rise up and take flight in mortal terror at the sight of a possibly armed and potentially deadly human.
– I can’t stand that the fear of man has become so prevalent that many of our fellow mammalian species have had to adapt by becoming nocturnal.
– I hate that there’s almost nowhere left on the planet where you don’t hear some annoying human noise during the day or see their lights at night.
– I loathe the fact that soon the only species in existence will be those that are forced to serve humankind.
– I hate that the only time wildlife can catch a break is when humans are busy warring with each other.
– And I find insufferable that the most evil genes over the ages keep getting passed on to future generations.
Text and Wildlife Photography ©Jim Robertson, 2013. All Rights Reserved
Exposing the Big Game 
Well, Yes, I certainly agree. It’s like the winners get to write the history books. If the meek are going to win some day and all the hell we face daily now will end, in time creatures will forgive us and peace and love will be the normal life, well I hope it happens soon, on my watch, because that would be worth the hell we live in now. I would will myself to live past the human de-evolution to a pre columbian life in wabanaki culture like my ancestors. For sure, an awful lot of humans are going backward, it’s like caveman with an AK-47…are we just turning into abastated forms of our enemies? I don’t know?
I’ve heard that rattle snakes in Texas have learned not to rattle/warn any more, for fear of giving their location away and being shot by by some dregs of humanity.
totally agree with your sentiments, you are not alone..Is there any animal you would want to come back as? NOPE! we mistreat them all!
Thank you Jim. I totally agree. It made me think of the Galapagos. I was there a few years ago and what impressed me the most was that the birds and other animals did not flee in terror at the sight of me. It is way too much to hope for, but In a few generations we could have that experience here too if we stopped using and abusing animals for sport and profit.
Same in National Parks compared to just outside the park borders–the animals are much more trusting in the protection of parks
When I read your comments, I am reassured that there is at least one other human who thinks as I do about humans and our crappy relationships with Animals.
Thank you.
You’re welcome and you’re not the only one
Thank you, Jim. You express one of my greatest heartbreaks … that animals have to be so terrified of us. I read an article the other day which talked about an owl that went into a fake, decoy broken-wing display on the ground, as its owlets were being banded by biologists in the nest. Is there any more clear statement of what a threatening predator we are to them? I seem to be in the minority in public parks when I ask parents to stop their kids from harassing ducks and geese. It happens with such frequency, I’ve had to pick my battles and save my energies for the most egregious harassment (throwing rocks). But this norm in our society now of letting children chase after, scream and grab for wild animals is something I simply do not recall from my youth (other wretched wildlife activities of the time, notwithstanding). I feel like I can’t go anywhere anymore without being profoundly affected by what I see humans doing. And this, after being exposed to so much. The heart grows more vulnerable, not more callous.
Beautifully written and sadly so true.
I once screamed at a man who was throwing rocks a geese because he said they were trespassing on his property. I told him the geese don’t know that it’s HIS property. He said he hated they way they “sh*t” all over his yard. I told him that they are animals, it’s what they do. He continued to scream back at me that it was his “right” to do as he pleases because it’s “his” property. I told him if he continued I was calling the police, I don’t give a crap if it’s HIS property! I later found he he killed all those geese — his neighbor told me as she stood by and did nothing. Typical behavior. Humans kill because they can. They kill because they are annoyed. They kill because they cannot cope. They kill, kill and kill some more. And yet when a young man walks into a school and kills innocent small children and teachers, people scratch their heads and ask why. Some people simply cannot connect the dots — killing animals = killing people.
Yep, people who kill birds as beautiful and intelligent as geese just because they poop should be locked away for the good of all.
I completely agree.
I’m sure you can relate, as any wildlife photographer would have to admit that their subjects are much more approachable in protected parks (I say “protected” parks, since the wildlife in parks that allow hunting are as paranoid of humans as anywhere outside park boundaries. For example, Alaska’s Wrangle/St. Elias NP–which allows hunting–is nothing like Denali for viewing wildlife).
And the issue of parents letting kids scare animals is on my list as well. How many times have I had to step in and lecture kids for charging and scaring pigeons? What a species…
Reblogged this on Girl for Animal Liberation (GiRRL_Earth).
I went on a photo safari in Tanzania several years ago, and it will thrilling to see animals going about their daily lives (as we were constrained in vehicles). It hit me that the reason people travel to the big parks in Africa is because you can still see large herds of animals grazing and browsing, and see lots of predators, and even predators in the act of killing their prey. I think its more than just the opportunity to see the big animals – most of them you can find in zoos. We used to have huge herds of bison, elk, and other wildlife here, not to mention large predators. But we’ve reduced their populations to almost nothing and only in the National Parks can you actually watch them behaving somewhat naturally. Only in Yellowstone and some of the Alaskan parks do you have anything related to a natural system of predators and prey. It’s sad that we have to travel all the way to Africa to see “wild” nature. And much of that will probably disappear in our lifetimes.
Yep, it’s rare to find a healthy, fully-functioning ecosystem anymore. That can’t be good.
I am going to Tanzania in the fall. It has been on my bucket list for a long time. I want to see the wildlife while there is still something left to see before the hunters and poachers kill everything. Surprisingly when I make the above comment to people, whether they are animal people or not, they understand and agree with me. I think that the general public is resigned to the belief that the loss of wildlife is inevitable.
My feelings exactly!!!
I recently took a 3 day road trip through Eastern Washington to see birds and other wildlife. I would like to share my observations and some signs of the times.
– The number of hunting and fishing areas seems to have proliferated.
– At one recreation area, there was a sign “DO NOT SHOOT GROUND SQUIRRELS They Are a State Protected Species”. What kind of sicko shoots little ground squirrels? And, how bad did it have to get before the state put up the sign?
– The state parks have “NO HUNTING” signs at the entrances. What kind of sicko hunts in a park?
– Most of the restrooms at the parks, recreation areas, and so-called “wildlife refuges” were closed. Even the sani-cans had locks on them. However, many of the hunting and fishing areas had reasonably maintained and supplied vault toilets and sani-cans. How come hunters and fishermen get the luxury of a toilet and the general public does not?
– At a fish cleaning station (which I am not in favor of fishing either) in one state park there was a sign “NO BIRD CLEANING”. Apparently, hunters are taking over our state parks: camping in them, hunting illegally in the park or legally elsewhere, and then bringing back their kill to “clean” in the park facilities.
– A small town had a new fancy traffic circle apparently bought and paid for by Cabelas, as the brick wall in the center of the circle had their name emblazoned on it.
– For better or worse (I am not sure which), wind farms have sprung up like invasive weeds all over the landscape.
– On a positive note, a park in a small town had a fishing line recycle bin with signs asking people to save the marine and bird life by depositing their used fishing line in the bins. Discarded fishing line is an indiscriminate killer of wildlife which keeps on killing. It takes over 600 years for monofilament fishing line to break down. Twenty-four states have a fishing line recovery and recycling program, but unfortunately Washington is not one of them.
As for the wildlife, I saw a wide variety of birds, although the overall populations seemed low. The only exceptions were the thousands of Sandhill Cranes, who kindly showed up in time for the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival. As for mammals, I saw one dead deer on the side of the road and two live Yellowbelly Marmots. That was it. Three days and three mammals! Something is very, very wrong.
I knew you must have been talking about Othello, even before the end of your comment. Seeing those cranes is truly amazing! And I could completely relate to all your other observations. To find out what kind of person would shoot ground squirrels, search for the word “prairie dog” on this blog.
Here’s a link to that: https://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/tag/prairie-dog/