 |
| courtesy Google images |
The Department of Fish and Game killed a mother and three baby
mountain lions, who they asserted were "terrorizing" Rescue, a
neighborhood in Northern California. Despite the fact that this lion family was
suspected of killing a residents' goat, and perhaps other livestock, the people
of Rescue were upset that Fish and Game, again, resorted to killing the cat and
her cubs.
As we search for
space, fresh air and "nature", we forget that we encroach upon the
natural habitats of animals with whom we share this planet. These animals are
also part of the "nature" that we seek as a respite from crowded and
smoggy cities. These animals need food and water regardless of whether houses
stand where once they did not. In other words, just because we change our
address does not mean the wildlife we displace consents to politely starve to
death and to stop behaving naturally.
It also means that
those charged with the responsibility of enforcing the protection of our native
and protected species, (a class in which mountain lions reside), must behave
better than the rest of us and work to negate our egocentric ignorant
assumptions and behaviors. Teaching people to cope, exploring relocation
options, and creating wildlife corridors to expand areas of natural habitat
could ultimately help save the lives of both the lions and the goat. It is also
up to residents of areas where it is foreseeable to encounter a mountain
lion to take steps to keep pets and farm animals in secure, indoor enclosures
at night.
The Department of
Fish and Game has always rejected that they were in the preservation business
when criticized for too hastily hunting and killing one of our "game"
animals. They insist that hunting and "taking" of "game" is
necessary to manage herd populations. They have also had a terrible season
during which their Commission president posted pictures of a lion that he
killed out of state, a baby lion was gunned down at their direction in Santa Monica as well as other such difficult incidents. Yet, this past
legislative session they removed the word "game" from Fish and Game
and replaced it with "wildlife" so as to diminish and eliminate the hunting connotations emitted by the word
"game" - clearly a distinction in "game" only.
They are not
fooling anybody nor will Californians mistake such flimsy appearances for reality. Instead
of asking the words to do the work of softening their image so as to appear
less like government hunters why don't they just act that way?
Trust me - this
word play is no game to lions or goats.
