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| Why can't we all just get along? |
So as the article above states, people in Boulder are concerned because a coyote has taken a bite out of a jogger and several other people have been menaced or attacked. This has sparked the usual discussions on the old Animules Vs Peeples argument. The Pro-Animules say that the critters are just defending their territory and acting the way God programmed them to. The Pro-Peeples group says that Peeples have a right to live in safety without worrying about some critter deciding they might look good on the dinner table. Like pretty much every subject, there is very little middle ground being bandied about.
So, the question sitting on the table shedding is this. Which side is right? Do the fuzzies have the right to roam free and hunt to their hearts content? Do the not so fuzzies have the right to not be turned into critter chow? The answer is Yes.
Wait, you might ask? Yes to which question? To which I would reply with a tad bit of snarkiness, "Both." You might come back with a shocked, "But the answer to both questions can't be yes! One side has to be wrong!" At which time I might get offended by your objections and that is when the fight would start.
| Owchie! |
Okay now that the fight is over with (I WON!), we can get back to the questions that started it. Despite what most people seem to think, the answer to both questions above is indeed yes. Animals have the right to live like nature intended and People have the right not to be attacked by animals. The question most people aren't asking is what can be done to fix the problem. The main reason they aren't asking it is because the answer to that question is, "Not to damned much."
The ideal answer is of course to give the animals plenty of wide open, people free spaces so that they can live their lives without risking people's well being. Unfortunately, with more and more people moving into more and more wilderness areas, that answer isn't very feasible. Animals are being forced to either move from habitats they have roamed for thousands of years or to exist side by side with humans. I don't like it personally, but that is just what is happening.
So what do we do? Honestly, I have no idea. (Mark that one in your calendar, boys and girls) I truly believe that all animals deserve the right to exist in their native habitats without interference from people. I also recognize that, barring a global catastrophe of biblical proportions, people aren't going to stop pushing further and further into said habitats either to live or to work.
Now I don't really think to highly of the human race (Adults anyway) and have no problem with a lot of grownups (Congress "cough" Senate "Cough" President "Cough") being eaten by Yogi and Booboo (Bear not Honey), but I have no wish to see children hurt or house pets eaten. (I apologize for the completely Non-PC joke that just popped into my head which did not make it to print.)
Hopefully, someone much smarter and wiser than me will come up with some answer. The (albeit tiny) part of me that is optimistic hopes it will be an answer that is somewhat fair to all sides. I'd hate to see creatures like the coyote and wolf vanish from the face of the Earth like so many species have in the past.
End of Rant
to, too, two
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