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TO REPORT CASES OF
ANIMAL ABUSE IN YOUR TOWN OR STATE, PLEASE FOLLOW THE BELOW LINK TO A NEW
PAGE CALLED:
"THE
ANIMAL ABUSE
REPORT
REGISTRY"
BEARS
IN ALASKA!
(Mike)
My daughter and I ran into a bear on our recent trip to Alaska. It was eating garbage on the streets of Juneau. I wanted to grab it by it's ears and slap a wet one on it's snout but the patrol officer suggested I just film the little bugger and stay back. Eventually he tired of the work and headed back to the hills. I still haven't come down yet.
I questioned the people around me as to the disposition of the bear if he didn't get back home. They said, for years bears were summarily destroyed if they ventured into town (which is 3 minutes away), but it didn't stop other bears from coming in. They finally learned that nature abhors a vacuum and management by death is not the answer.
They ultimately created a city ordinance that made it a misdemeanor (with a heavy fine!) if you did not bungie cord your garbage lid shut. The invasion abated markedly. The buses have signs that state simply..GARBAGE KILLS BEARS with a drawing of a targeted bear eating out of a garbage can that has been left unprotected. They also relocate a bear 3 times before considering the final solution.
Bears have become a tourist attraction and like wolves have captured the public's imagination. Of course, there are still some hard core specieists who grumble about "them getting very brazen". I 'm not sure exactly who they are referring to--the bears or the humans! Ah well, they too shall be taking the eventual dirt nap.
Last Wednesday I wrote about rodeos and how I don't go there because I probably would end up cheering for the animals, thus incurring the wrath of rodeo patrons.
The point of the column is that it will be difficult for humans to maintain any claim on being the planet's superior species, unless we learn to treat other species with more respect.
I have received nearly 300 e-mail messages from people, including several from Europe, who share that belief. My thanks to all for taking the time to e-write -- including the handful of people whose purpose was to either admonish me for my point of view, or to explain the history and origins of rodeo and why people do the things they do.
Since the preponderance of e-mail -- and regular mail and phone calls, for that matter -- was from folks who love and want to protect animals, I feel reasonably safe sharing some of the contrarian points of view. I do this because most of you will find these remarks amusing and sad, an unusual combination of emotions.
From Mike, somewhere in e-land:
"John: Cows, pigs and chickens are not beings, exceptional or otherwise. They are dumb animals. Deal with it. The statement that deer are 'easy' targets is asinine and totally unfounded. There are many other things that make for easier shooting than deer. ... God made animals for us to consume, despite what you -- with your Bambi world view -- may think."
Oddly enough, Mike closes with a quote from the Bible:
"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
It is clear that I will never understand some people.
Carl, who describes himself as a "Michigan rodeo fan," asks rhetorically "Is the sport perfectly humane? Of course not. Is it entertaining? Definitely."
Carl goes on to advise that the next time I go channel surfing on TV, watch a rodeo and then some of the slasher movies and other junk, then ask myself which is more humane.
Carl may be a little confused about the distinction between real and make-believe events. But he scores one for the rodeoists when he writes:
"If you truly want to make the world a better place, focus your efforts on the way humans treat each other."
Good point, but I can't let Carl have the last word, now can I:
Maybe humans would treat each other more humanely if they first practiced those skills on animals. It is becoming evident that children who abuse animals often grow into adults who abuse other humans.
Robert, another rodeo fan who left a message on my office voice mail, took offense at my mention of the manly sport of killing deer. He said deer hunting is a sport, and he kills deer because "it's fun."
I could rest my case with that comment, but let's press onward. Marlene e-mailed a lengthy history of rodeo, the sport, and included a tutorial on how many of the animals really enjoy being involved in such activities. Marlene writes:
"Did you know there are horses that truly love to buck? On the ground they are docile and easily handled, but put a rider on their back and they turn inside out. ..."
Hello. Anybody in there? Apparently not.
An unsigned e-missive asked another rhetorical question:
"I just read your editorial on rodeos and the first thing that came to mind was -- how stupid can one person be? Why do apparently sane people insist on giving dumb animals human emotions?"
That person closes with the following:
"By the way, the purpose of shooting deer is because they are tasty."
Nancy, from somewhere in e-land, admitted that my column was "interesting" but she felt compelled to correct my perception of the reason for animals being among us:
"Horses were put on Earth for mankind to use. Cattle are a source of food ..."
Then, in a veritable explosion of contradiction, she offers:
"God created all of us, whether you know it or not."
That was about it for the objectors, which were outnumbered nearly 40-1 by people who have a more enlightened view of mankind's relationship with the animal kingdom.
Among the enlightened was a fellow in south Florida, who passed along a column by Fred Grimm, whose work regularly appears on the editorial pages of the Miami Herald. The column carried the headline, "Canned hunts drawing fire."
Apparently there is a ranch outside of Miami that encourages hunters to come in, pay a fee, then shoot animals. The animals have virtually no chance of escaping their doom because the "hunt" occurs within a fenced enclosure. The presumed purpose of such a business is to provide hunters with a trophy.
Such "hunting" obviously offended columnist Grimm -- as it would any thinking human -- but what caused him to write the column was that on a weekend earlier this year, seven children with disabilities, some of them in wheelchairs, were brought to the ranch and encouraged to, in Grimm's words, blast away at trapped Asian deer. The children were brought to the ranch by the Special Youth Challenge Ministries of Georgia, whose mission was to allow those kids to "enjoy God's great outdoors."
Wait a second. Is that the same God that created us all, humans and animals? There seems to be a problem here, a crack in the wine glass of logic.
One of the friendly e-mails was from an animal emancipator in Austin, Texas, who reports that the Austin City Council is considering an ordinance to prohibit live animal acts within city limits. That would include rodeos and circuses. I e-mailed back, asking him to keep me informed, that maybe something like that could be done here.
Giddyap
Ugly would have been a dark gray tabby, striped type, except for the sores covering his head, neck, and even his shoulders. Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same reaction. "That's one UGLY cat!" All the children were warned not to touch him, the adults threw rocks at him, hosed him down, squirted him when he tried to come in their homes, or shut his paws in the door when he would not leave. Ugly always had the same reaction. If you turned the hose on him, he would stand there, getting soaked until you gave up and quit. If you threw things at him, he would curl his lanky body around your feet in forgiveness. Whenever he spied children, he would come running, meowing frantically and bump his head against their hands, begging for their love. If you ever picked him up he would immediately begin suckling on your shirt, earrings, whatever he could find.
One day Ugly shared his love with the neighbor's dogs. They did not respond kindly, and Ugly was badly mauled. I tried to rush to his aid. By the time I got to where he was laying, it was apparent Ugly's sad life was almost at an end. As I picked him up and tried to carry him home, I could hear him wheezing and gasping, and could feel him struggling. It must be hurting him terribly, I thought. Then, I felt a familiar tugging, sucking sensation on my ear. Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and obviously dying, was trying to suckle my ear! I pulled him closer to me, and he bumped the palm of my hand with his head, then he turned his one golden eye towards me, and I could hear the distinct sound of purring. Even in the greatest pain, that ugly battle scarred cat was asking only for a little affection, perhaps some compassion. At that moment, I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, loving creature I had ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, try to get away from me, or struggle in any way. Ugly just looked up at me completely trusting in me to relieve his pain.
Ugly died in
my arms before I could get inside, but I sat and held him for a long time
afterwards, thinking about how one scarred, deformed little stray could
so alter my opinion about what it means to have true pureness of spirit,
to love so totally and truly. Ugly taught me more about giving and
compassion than a 1000 books, lectures, or talk show specials ever could,
and for that I will always be thankful. He had been scarred on the outside,
but I was scarred on the inside, and it was time for me to move on and
learn to love truly and deeply. To give my total to those I cared for.
Many people want to be richer, more successful, well liked, beautiful,
but for me... I will always try to be Ugly.
Author Anonymous
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