animals

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Perfection is Overrated

I know I’ve been a bit quieter than usual here lately. No excuses really, just life getting in the way. But I figure you’ve had enough downtime from my tirades, so I’m determined to get back into the game on a more regular basis. Lucky you. Today felt like kind of a rant-y day, so again, lucky you!

Being a huge animal lover, there’s always been something that I just don’t understand. How is it that we can continue to encroach on wildlife and then wonder why they end up in our space? As humans continue to cut down tree after tree, painstakingly eliminating the vital forests of our planet, people somehow act surprised when a bear, deer, or alligator stumbles into your backyard. If we keep destroying their homelands, then we’re going to have to come to terms with having animal neighbors. And not in the “we’ll just kill them all” way that we’re doing now.

Well, I’ll admit, I don’t really want a bear sniffing around my house, but I’m also aware that not pissing it off and simply chasing it away with a few loud noises will do the trick just fine. Aside from those adorable little trash pandas, which most people call raccoons, animals don’t typically want to go through your trash. And honestly, raccoons would probably not have to dumpster dive either. They, like all animals, would rather survive on the natural bounty provided by their native habitats.  Those same exact habitats that are being wiped out by, you guessed it, us humans. We create the problem and then complain about the problem we created. Oh, but those darn little critters, right? Deer tearing up the flower bed, opossums in the trash, squirrels stealing stuff from the garden… to hell with these pesky pests, right? Let’s all just ignore the reason these animals are forced into an urban lifestyle in the first place.

Here’s an idea. Maybe the space we are trying to evict them from was never our space to begin with. To them, we’re the pests. Consider the Merriam-Webster definitions of the word pest.

  • A plague.
  • Something resembling a pest in destructiveness.
  • Someone or something who annoys, aka a nuisance.

Humans appear to fit the mold quite nicely.  Considering the pollution and war we brought to this planet, and our constant failure at caring for it, we are arguably the most destructive plague in history.

Destructiveness? That little chipmunk dug a hole in your flowerbed because some lumber company just cleared out 20 acres of its habitat for that new development down the way. Shame on that rodent right? What was more destructive, the golf ball-sized hole under your chrysanthemums or wiping out an entire forest? Perfect lawns. Perfect gardens. Perfect perfect perfect. Animals apparently have no place in this façade of perfection.

A nuisance or something that annoys. The third definition of the word pest is pretty much exclusive to humans, gnats, houseflies, and mosquitoes. If you asked me to name 5 things that I find utterly annoying (aside from gnats, houseflies, and mosquitoes), I’m almost positive they would all be human-related. Let’s try.

  1. Being cut off while driving.
  2. Being placed on hold for longer than 5 minutes.
  3. Cold pizza and warm wine.
  4. Most movie remakes.
  5. People doing TikToks in the grocery store in front of the frosted shredded mini-wheats I have a coupon for.

Before you even argue with me, I get it, I do.  You don’t want potentially life-threatening animals near your home, especially if you have children around. But if you live out in the country, this is just a part of life and you need to learn how to cope with it. Preferably without killing the animals who don’t realize that your home is now smack dab in the middle of what used to be their exclusive space.

If you’re closer to town and you’re dealing with pesky little critters like groundhogs and snakes, there are things you can do to safely deter them from certain areas of your property while still allowing them to, you know, live. If you’re a victim of chipmunk abuse, just pull up Google and look for natural and safe deterrents from these highly hostile, albeit teeny-tiny, monsters. That was sarcasm, of course, chipmunks are cute and harmless, but here, I’ll even do you one solid and give you a link to get started. Or, hey, here’s a novel idea, you could do what you’re always expecting everyone else around you to do… share.

Instead of worrying about the perfect lawn or the perfectly organized flower bed filled with ornamental flora, why not sow wildflowers and plants that attract and feed the wildlife you share this space with? Why not make your garden an oasis for all manner of creatures who, frankly, deserve to be here as much as you do? Instead of finding ways to oust them, find ways to grow your empathy and coexist with the animals.

We have destroyed the majority of the natural habitats that used to grace this planet right along with most of the animals who called those habitats home. It’s now up to us to maintain what is left and to ensure that the wildlife can stay wild and healthy. It’s a ridiculously easy thing to do once you get past the whole “mine mine mine” mindset.

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Memorial Day Honors

I hope all of my U.S. friends enjoy their Memorial Day celebrations.  Please remember to honor the dedicated men and women of our military who never made it home.  I implore you all to keep the military animals in your thoughts as well. So many brave dogs, horses, and other animals have given their service to this country, including laying down their lives alongside their human servicemen and women. Please remember them all this Memorial Day, human and animal alike.

Photo taken by Petty Officer 2nd Class John F. Looney at the War Dog Cemetery located on Naval Base Guam. 25 Marine War Dogs gave their lives during the Battle of Guam in 1944. They served as sentries, messengers, scouts. They explored caves, detected mines and booby traps. –  SEMPER FIDELIS

 

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Where Nature and Technology Collide

I woke up this morning and, in real-time, watched an elephant drink from a waterhole. A giraffe, haloed by the sun, captivated my attention. I didn’t even have to leave my home or change out of my oh-so-comfy pajamas to see any of this. The free website, africam.com, offers people all over the world the opportunity to witness the many intriguing and unique animals on their reserve. I am fascinated (and slightly obsessed)!

Sure, I could Google or search for videos of these animals on YouTube, but there is something magical about seeing these animals live and unedited. These magnificent creatures are doing their animal thing in the present moment, without humans around, and anyone with a screen and decent wifi connection can watch. It’s almost as cool as actually being there. Almost.

On this website (which accepts donations and does offer paid experiences), there are so many cool features. There are 8 live cameras set up around conservation reserves, and you can switch between them as you like. They even update the video snapshot every 30 seconds for the videos you aren’t watching. That way, if something comes onto the screen, you can switch over.

How cool is it to watch, in real-time, something living on the other side of the world? I once saw two lions that were covered in blood as they had just finished eating. I didn’t see what they had eaten (thank god), but I like to imagine it was poachers. I’ve watched baboons perch in a tree over a crocodile-infested river (though infested sounds harsh, doesn’t it?) to protect themselves from predators at night. Of course, I’m always afraid that one would get startled and fall out into the river. That’s a side of the animal world I don’t want to see! I watch them through my fingers as though Freddy Krueger might pop out at any moment.

Do you know what pure joy is?  Gazelle youngsters, that’s what. Gazelle youngsters are such a pleasure to watch as they leap around and play, not a care in the world. You can tell they are enjoying themselves and driving their herd crazy while they’re at it. It’s just a joyful thing to witness. No lions allowed, thank you very much.

The sounds of the birds and insects are very soothing as well. Usually. At times, it’s a raucous cacophony. Sometimes a mammal can be heard before it is seen. The camera pans around to find where the sound is coming from, sometimes finding it, sometimes not. The search, whether successful or not, is exciting.

africam photos slide

Once I heard a loud rumbling and expected to see a Jumanji style stampede burst into view. It turned out to be a safari-type jeep, tourists in tow, off on an adventure. Lucky them! I’ll admit, I’m just a little jealous. Okay, a lot jealous.

Don’t get too excited about seeing a rhino on live camera, though. When rhinos appear, the camera immediately cuts out or gets turned away (a sad but needed strategy to avoid alerting poachers to their whereabouts). I apparently turned on my screen at a time when the camera operator was taking a bathroom break or chatting with a co-worker. I watched the rhino for a few minutes before the camera was suddenly jerked away. I was left staring at a pole (an overcompensation, I imagine, before the operator caught their breath and shifted the camera again to a rhino-free grassy section of the view). I bet they didn’t leave their post again for a while.

If waiting around for an animal to appear on screen is not in your schedule, they also have video highlights. These play in a more digestible time frame for our present-day hustle and bustle culture. These are exciting as well, though they aren’t quite as suspenseful as the live cameras.

Still, the videos are a pleasure to watch; a hyena licking the camera (swear to god, you could see down his throat!), baboons and impalas sharing a waterhole inhabited by frogs, beautiful birds building nests, bull elephants trying to impress the ladies, and even a dung beetle pushing a ball of poop up a hill and comically tumbling back down with it.

You can take snapshots of anything you see, save them to your gallery, and share them with the Africam community. Or you can watch ranger videos to learn more about the animals. I also learned about the Black Mambas, the first all-female anti-poaching group. I know, right!?  Awesome!

With its roaming animals and soothing nature sounds, this site brings such pleasure to quiet moments. It helps remind me there is a whole, magical existence out there that I have yet to see. Someday I hope to (so long as I’m in a covered vehicle because, you know, lions…).

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Imitation is Life

There is a Mockingbird somewhere in the trees around my condo complex. Every morning I hear him calling out for a mate. His song of choice?  A car alarm. He’s got it down pretty good too. Can’t dance to it. But still. The bird’s got talent. 

Of course, the Lyrebird reigns supreme in the imitation game; their mimicry is unparalleled. In the wild, they would copy the animals around them… in a zoo, it’s construction equipment. And oddly… lasers.  The vast library of sounds in their repertoire work to create endless operatic combinations making each song utterly unique, if not unusual. I’m not sure there’s any catching up to this chart topper.

All hail the Lyrebird. Sorry Sir Mockingbird. 

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Timely Advice

Pets are for life, not just for Christmas. All too often these “Christmas presents” end up on Craigslist after the holidays… or worse. Animals are not disposable; they are living, sentient beings who deserve better.

Bringing a pet into a home and a family is a decision that should be made with great care. If you’re not prepared for a lifetime commitment – with all that entails – get a toy instead.

Want to help the animals in your community? There are some great ideas HERE.

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Would You Like a Side of Hypocrisy with That?

Every now and then, I come across a story that absolutely blows my mind. While I shouldn’t be surprised by some people’s tendency to do things that make no sense, some things just get to me in an extra special “are you freakin’ kidding me” kind of way. I recently heard about one of those very things.

When I think of animal welfare groups and farm animal sanctuaries, a very specific image forms in my mind. I picture groups of people with an unrivaled passion for the protection of animals ranging from the casual to the devoutly committed to the downright radical.  Fanatics aside, I can’t help but admire the conviction one must have to make an issue such a large part of their lives. Unfortunately, however, there seems to be hypocrites everywhere these days.

What do I mean?  So glad you asked!  And remember, you asked. This rant is on you.

Well, a certain farm animal sanctuary (which will remain unnamed) decided to hold a fundraising event with some very interesting food options on the menu – meat. All kinds of meat. I’m going to repeat that for the people in the back.  This farm animal sanctuary served meat at a fundraising event for the protection of farm animals. Meat. To fundraise for farm animals. You know, the animals who usually end up as… MEAT. This is a true story. I’m not kidding.

This makes literally no sense to me and, frankly, pisses me off. You could probably tell by my excessive use of bold lettering in the previous paragraph. But seriously – how can you, in good conscious, serve steak, let’s say, at an event raising funds towards the protection of cows… the very same animals now sitting, medium-rare, on the potential donors’ plates? Well, not the very same animals, different cows, but still cows. One would think that this choice directly contradicts the non-profit’s so-called mission. I mean, of course it does.

To make things even worse, this farm animal sanctuary had the audacity to get combative and defensive when questioned about their choices! And not by me, either. Apparently, there were quite a few others raising their eyebrows before I ever got into the conversation. Their reasons behind this bold dining choice made no sense either. They claimed that to NOT serve meat would be confrontational and antagonistic to the meat eaters who might attend, and they felt that they should show them by example that animals matter… that they would take the opportunity to educate, rather than argue. Presumably this example-showing and education would occur on the tour of their animal residents who are, you know, farm animals… cows, pigs, goats, chickens, and the like. I’m sorry, but I have to call bullshit here.

I will agree with them on one thing; fundraising events are a great way to educate the general public. It’s an opportunity to showcase the organization’s mission and encourage support from donors by offering them new perspectives on the issues at hand. However, what this particular farm animal sanctuary (I cringe to even call them a “farm animal sanctuary”) failed to do was offer such an opportunity. What exactly did they do to educate the attendees? “Oh, this animal here was worthy of our protection. The one on your plate, well, not so much.” How is that showing by example?

I mean, I’m not one to say, hey, you can’t eat meat because I don’t. You do you and I’ll do me (food, people, I’m talking food here). But at the same time, I don’t think that serving vegetarian or vegan dishes at a FARM ANIMAL SANCTUARY fundraiser would be thumbing my nose at the meat-eating attendees. On the contrary, wouldn’t you think it would be a given? Wouldn’t you expect it? Not to mention, if their objective is to educate people on why farm animals such as cows and pigs shouldn’t be in the food chain, they blew a prime opportunity to showcase just how delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes can be. I’m genuinely confused by their choices.

Let me climb up on my soap box a little higher to say that non-profit organizations should be held to higher expectations than members of the general public… ethically, morally, and through their financial stewardship.  One should expect transparency and moreover, one should expect consistency and an adherence to the mission statement of the organization in question.  Especially the latter and especially when it comes to fundraising. Honestly, they should have anticipated the backlash and to double down by getting argumentative when questioned makes it all the worse.

I can’t even begin to understand what this group was thinking. Their entire program hinges on the concept that ALL animal lives matter and they all deserve to live a full and happy life. How do they fundraise to support this mission?  By serving the very animals they’re fundraising to save. Tell me how that makes any kind of sense at all?  I guess some animal lives just don’t matter after all.