Every
spring here in Alabama the weather warms and the plants and wildlife burst
forth full speed ahead. It’s a beautiful time to live here for sure. It’s also
a time I look forward to and dread at the same time. I guess you can say spring
is a bittersweet time for me.
It is true
that I love the warm weather. I enjoy fishing and riding my motorcycle without
layer upon layer of clothing. But, along with the joys of spring, come the
stories and pictures of snakes, fish, and other animals killed for no good reason.
Already this
year I have read the comment “the only good snake is a dead snake,” many times.
The ignorance doesn’t stop there. Many fishermen I know often catch turtles by
accident, kill them and drop them back into the water. Drum, Carp, and Gar are
considered trash fish by most in our area and often suffer the same fate.
Either that or they are simply thrown up on the bank and left to die. What a
waste. These fish are highly sought after in other parts of the world and
considered tremendous sport as gamefish. Carp, Gar, and turtles are thought to
be a delicacy and provide food to millions.
All across the world many species of plants and
animals are going extinct because of the ignorance of humans. We consider
ourselves the most intelligent species on the planet, but we don’t always act
like it. There are less than 60 Javan Rhinoceroses left. These magnificent
beasts are being poached for a single horn.
The
Cross River Gorilla is hunted for meat and being crowded out by human
development. There are fewer than 600 of these left in the world. There are
about 600 Sumatran Tigers left. Only around 100 of these still live free and in
the wild. They are hunted for their skins.
The
beautiful lovable looking Giant Panda is also being lost to due to human encroachment.
These stories are sad and heartbreaking. They are also only a small number of
the ones I found while doing research.
Every plant
and animal on this earth is special and has a purpose. Each plays an individual
part in our delicate ecosystem. When nature selects a species for extinction it
is sad. When humans kill off a species before their time it is a tragedy.
I fully
understand people have phobias and are afraid of certain animals, bugs, and
even certain plants. Does this give us the right to exterminate certain species
simply because we don’t like them or are afraid of them…I don’t think so. I
have been fascinated by snakes since I was very young so I will use them to
help tie all this together and wind this blog up.
Most people classify snakes as either good are
bad. This is usually determined by whether they are venomous or not. People
with a snake phobia simply say they are all bad. No matter how you see snakes
they are all part of the great big food chain. If by chance we removed all snakes
the food chain would soon become completely out of balance. We would be overrun
by rats, mice, and some insects in a very short time. These pests would infest
our homes, ruin food supplies, and spread diseases. The hawks, foxes, and other
animals that prey on these pests wouldn’t be enough to keep them in check.
Best advice
in dealing with unwanted wildlife is to leave them alone. Most likely they will
just go away. If you have a wild animal that is a nuisance, call someone with
experience and have it relocated somewhere safe for it and other humans.
Killing is not the answer to everything. God put animals on this earth and yes
he did give us dominion over them, I don’t think he meant for us to kill any of
his creatures just because we don’t like them.
Lowell Henderson
