Wolves in Montana! Bears and mountain lions in Pennsylvania! Coyotes in Massachusetts! Sounds like science fiction. Well, it is not. These are today's headlines. Debates about the intelligence of relocating animals is under scrutiny all over the world.
We, the humans, have built, developed, cleared, and shoved the animal kingdom until more names are added to the endangered species list every day.
Habitat for these animals to live in peace is becoming harder and harder to locate, so environmentalists find themselves trying to relocate new homes.
The wolves, for instance, in the forests and mountains of Montana adjusted and are thriving, moving into more populated areas where farmers and ranchers want to shoot them.
A person should have a right to defend and protect one's livelihood and family, but compromises must be made. If we wish for these animals to continue as a species, man must learn to live with them again.
I was sickened when I read of the individuals who shot many of the wild mustangs of a herd in Nevada last year, even killing pregnant mares. Why? Why?
People who camp and backpack in the wild, take the necessary precautions, and be careful not to attract or provoke the wild animals while in their domain. Now their domain has to be our residences because there is no space left.
People must learn to live with the animals as our ancestors did when first settling this country.
Each animal has its own distinctive behavior and personality, like people, and without them life will not be the same. We need them to humble us, to help us realize we are not alone and they were here first.
Genesis, in the Bible, states God created the animals first, then man, as care-taker to the beasts. Living together and taking care of the earth is all there left.
Animal rights activists picket in places that allow hunting, but it is necessary in areas where the population of a species has overgrown its habitat. White tailed deer are hunted but under strict limitations, but really only the weaker fall prey to the hunter.
During lean years a mother doe will abandon a weak fawn, or only save the strongest if she births more then one. Ever hear a starving fawn cry? A sound you won't soon forget.
Deer are another animal we have pushed aside and taken over their territory. They have been forced to adjust to our presence, when do we do the same?
Animals do have rights, the right to live in peace. And humans, we have the right to live in peace as well, but that means along side the animals where we all share a healthy respect for each other.
Oh, and one more thing, a healthier earth with cleaner air, water, and soil would sure make life easier for all, too.
Think about it.