Warning: May contain a rant.

WHY is it that people cannot make at very least minimum attempts to live with our wildlife in this day and age? I do not understand how someone can live in the country(down here) and not like wildlife or call them "vermin" and kill them because they are"on my lawn" or "eating my birdseed for the prettier birds". It burns my butt!

Now - I am NOT saying that from time to time it is not necessary to destroy a wild animal - for example, if it is dangerous, a dangerous nuisance or whatnot. But I'm talking about everyday visitors!

For example - We live in semi-mountainous Cape Breton Highlands. We are surrounded by rich lush forest with LOADS of animals. Deer, raccoon, bears, ducks, birds.. heck everything BUT - strangely our island doesnt have skunk or raccoon. Thats another rant..

Anyways - the local dump was having problems with a local bear coming and pawing around the fence, and I guess he got in to the pit area once through the fence. They knew it was going to happen and did nothing. They watched him come down from the mountain every day and try to get in that fence, and all they did was complain about him. They never did anything like call natural resources, find someone who rescues wildlife to move him, or anything.

So, the day that he got in the fence and was about to go into the pit - they had a local officer come out and shoot him. Now, let me add- our local garbage men were NOT in danger - there is no direct access to the pit as there is a high fence with a gate you must go through. So noone was in danger when it happened. However, they considered the bear a nusiance - well I say, they were probably a nusiance just as much to that bear, the dump having taken over part of his home. Anyways.. There was so much they could have done. They could have had him trapped and moved. They could have had natural resources tranq him and move him. They could have spent a few dollars to reinforce the fence. But they didnt. They just kept complaining about him and then had him shot.

Things like that happen all the time around here and I dont understand why someone would move to the sticks if they dont like wildlife. And then our town celebrates wildlife around here, we even have an information/interpretive center to tell tourists where they can go to see different wildlife. We have parks set up for the same. Animal reserves and such.. or whatever you call the wildlife parks. Its like our area touts its wonderful wildlife but as soon as said wildlife happens to bother any of the rich tourists or residents, it is shot or whatnot.

Another example - they bulldozed and ruined miles of forest to put in an incredibly expensive golf course(i think its something like 8000 a year to be a member, and something like 800 to play golf for the day) Right to the left of my apartment building, some ways away. There is still forest beside my place, its after that bit of forest that the golf course is. They did it in the hopes that people would come from all over the world to play golf. Well a few have - but right now they are struggling for money and have been since the end of year one when everyone rich around here got bored of it and people stopped playing because it was just too expensive.

So whats the problem with a golf course, your probably asking. Well sure they are fun! BUT. The problem is we live at the base of the highlands like I said before. So when they did the golf course(which took up several million dollars of the towns money i do beleive) all of the wildlife that had homes there were pushed out.. and where did they get pushed? Thats right! Into the woods by my place. And also, into town. Because I am literally the second last house on that side of actual "town"- it starts thinning out after me. So now we have people complaining about the raccoon, coyote and even the incredibly beautiful bobcat/lynx that are floating this way, causing damage, eating peoples cats, and everything you would EXPECT those wild animals to do. I mean, they lost so much habitat, they come here hungry. I know its awful and in a way it DOES make them a nusiance, but at the same time, what do people expect?

I dont let my three kitties outside for that reason. I UNDERSTAND that there is wildlife issues around right now because of that golf course, and because of that I make the choice to keep them in, so that there is no problems. Yes the cats meow to get out. BUT. Its better than getting eaten.

My uncle lives farther out in the country and is a wildlife artist. He has now a mother coyote who comes with her baby, every year he sees the pack grow. He has a dog, which he keeps IN in the night, and during the day the dog stays near the house and is trained to come in should anything wander around, and they keep a good eye on him. He also has an old male bear who is missing a paw who visits sometimes. Apparently the dog got out the other night and ran him up a maple tree Thankfully doggy was just as frightened and came right in. But the thing is, thats to be EXPECTED. We are at the base of the mountains at a time when environment is changing, people are developing forest into houses and roads, and things are not going well for the animals. MY uncle works WITH the animals. He just lets them be - he makes sure to not leave food out, save their compost pile which is way way out in the feild - mama coyote picks through that sometimes, poor thing. Food is tough to find these days..

and if you just leave most of the animals be, and let them on their way, they dont cause problems. They dont come into town thinking "Well gee i better find someone to maul or bite while im here". They are frightened, hungry, and probably searching for a new home too. If people would stop complaining and actually look at the reasons behind the actions...like building a multi million dollar golf course that is now badly failing and probably going to go under, all for nothing.. which everyone thought was GREAT at the time.. like the fact that some food is scarce right now, like the rabbit population is down.. like the fact that some of these animals are naturally nomadic, like the coyote - and if you let them be they will often move on..

I just think its incredibly sad that we treat all of these beautful animals around us like they are a pain in the *** and are nothing but trouble. Personally i feel they ENRICH my life. The other night i got to show jer a mother duck and her three little babies, peacefully jaunting along in the pond next door. I got to see a beaitiful bobcat in my driveway, stopping for a rest and to clean. My uncles house always sees deer, owls, bears, coyotes and they have a wonderful river full of trout and mountain water next door.

I am of the mind that these are things we should be THANKFUL for. Not annoyed by!

I agree with everything you said 100%

[Pikku Myy]

I live very isolated on a beautiful farm... we have deer, bunnies, chipmonks, squirrels, fox, raccons, lots of birds... including a great horned owl & red tailed hawks... and yes my least favorite snakes I love it here... so peaceful and natural. What irks me are the folks who throw trash everywhere... including campsites at national forest... beer cans in the creeks... fires left burning... broken glass bottles, no responsibility at all. I always come home with two extra bags of trash that I ended up collecting during my visits. Agree with you totally! And yes, we only kill/dispose of animals that may have rabies.