Conflicting emotions when humans observe nature

[Gloria]

Stephen Packard spends a lot of time walking and observing not only the restoration projects and natural area of Chicagoland, but also the reactions of the many volunteers and visitors as they encounter wildlife.
Utilizing his many years experience and knowledge gained, he discusses what might sometimes seem harsh and conflicting.

Vestal Grove: Animals, Cuteness, and Pain

Lying in the nest was a hickory nut. It didn't fall there, because the nest was far from any trees in a shrub copse. It was carried there by a white-footed mouse while it was storing autumn food away for the hard times of winter. Once I found a whole nest full of pure tick-trefoil seeds - little beans, stored by some industrious mouse for a snowy, hungry day. Wild mice are cute, precious, and a main food of hawks, snakes, owls, and coyotes, which do them violence.

Young animals have their first (and often their last) major struggles in their first winter. Later, we found the remains of a young red-tailed hawk.
It still had its juvenile brown tail. We at Somme had been watching that hawk all fall. It was this year's baby, relatively curious, tame, and friendly. It had itself "viciously" torn apart a great many white-footed mice during its short life. But great-horned owls eat hawks - that don't know better than to sit on exposed perches during the night. Now this one was gone. Its parent flew nearby.

I myself am conflicted by the great-horn generally. At Somme we rarely hear or see a screech owl or a barred owl, largely, we believe, because the great-horned owls eat them all. The only long-eared owl I've ever seen at Somme was lying in pieces beneath a great-horned's perch.

[havalotta]

Some, who treasured nature when it was beautiful or tender, now were sad, bummed out, conflicted.

Hmmm That shows her grabbing a white-footed mouse, a meadow vole, or a smooth green snake for Show and TellI Then apologizes to the animal, which means nothing to it, but it means something to her?

Another hmmmmm Perhaps that was the reason why this year's baby, relatively curious, tame, and friendly didn't know any better than to sit on exposed perches during the night!

She may have apologized to the animals but sometimes in taming them it costs them their LIFE!
If she wants to show people things she should be doing it with the domestics NOT the wild born. Period!

[Gloria]

He was talking about the juvenile red tailed hawk being inexperienced and getting taken by an owl because he was too exposed. They never captured the hawk just encountered it throughout the season. He would not tame a wild animal and does not band them but does on occasion find it useful to have people encounter creatures they might be afraid of or consider pests.
Stephen Packard is a land steward, restoration leader, and ecological educator. He knows the native plants as well as the creatures of our area and I have been through a prairie tour with him. I admire his work/

Stephen Packard has guided some of Illinois’ largest ecological restoration projects, assembled thousands of volunteers through his work with Illinois Nature Conservancy and Audubon, and founded some of our most important conservation institutions, including Chicago Wilderness and Friends of the Forest Preserves.

http://westcook.wildones.org/2014/01...hicago-region/

[Gloria]

Havalotta, I do understand and respect your viewpoint. Mostly I leave the creatures alone except to take an occasional picture. I have though, allowed my grandson to pet a male bumble bee resting on a stem in late summer evening and hold a tomato hornworm while I took a picture then released. I once finished raising a monarch butterfly that a niece brought in. We disturb the wild creatures so much already that I am reluctant to do too much myself. But I can also understand those that think it helps to engage the somewhat reluctant or distanced average city dweller.

[katjh]

This article brings to mind a Yellowstone incident from a few years back.

We were watching wolves in the Lamar Valley. As I recall, it was July of 2000 or 2001. The Druid Peak Pack had their rendezvous site near the river in a highly visible area of the valley. By climbing a hill and setting up scopes, it was quite easy to observe them that summer. A small group gathered on that morning to watch the wolves. We watched a cow elk and a calf wander down to the river for a drink and then linger to graze in the open. This was still pretty early in the reintroduction and not all the elk had learned to be on the lookout for wolves. On this morning, two adults and three pups were at the rendezvous site. The rest of the pack must have been off on a walkabout somewhere. We watched as the three youngsters separated the calf from the cow elk. I doubt that these were pups-of-the-year, they would have been much too young to do it. They were likely yearlings. The two adult wolves paced and watched as the three youngsters dodged the cow's kicks and managed to take down that calf.

The watchers on the hill quickly "took sides", some cheering for the pups and others for the elk. It was nature doing what nature does, but people couldn't help emotionally connecting with one or the other.

The cow elk was agitated for a few minutes and then just went back to grazing as if nothing had happened. She didn't even leave the area right away.

Wolves are still pretty easy to see in the Lamar Valley, but not as easy as it was during the couple of summers they used that rendezvous site. Elk have become more wary of wolves and wolves have become more wary of humans since wolf hunting has become legal.

[dapjwy]

Nothing to add yet, but I am enjoying this thread.

Thank you for posting and for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

[amelanchier]

Nature is "red in tooth and claw." There's no way to change that; we can only hope to understand it better. In my view, it is best to develop tough-mindedness about it; otherwise, we may shrink from doing the things we need to do to conserve (like culling wild horses or wild boar).

[Leslie]

It is a hard thing. During my years as a volunteer wildlife rehabitator, I cared for squirrels and songbirds, hawks and owls. Predators and prey. And I rooted for each one when I released it. I had to kill mice to give to an owl - that was hard, but necessary. I think it's one of the best parts of humanity that we can have empathy and compassion for another creature. And it's not a strictly human characteristic -- I see it in my dogs all the time, and read about it in wild animals. I'm not sure how I balance my love of both predator and prey. Somehow it's acceptable when it's done for survival. Yet I'm enraged, furious, and despise trophy hunters, trappers, and people trying to timber old growth or otherwise destroy the environment.

[jack]

Originally Posted by katjh

This article brings to mind a Yellowstone incident from a few years back.

We were watching wolves in the Lamar Valley. As I recall, it was July of 2000 or 2001. The Druid Peak Pack had their rendezvous site near the river in a highly visible area of the valley. By climbing a hill and setting up scopes, it was quite easy to observe them that summer. A small group gathered on that morning to watch the wolves. We watched a cow elk and a calf wander down to the river for a drink and then linger to graze in the open. This was still pretty early in the reintroduction and not all the elk had learned to be on the lookout for wolves. On this morning, two adults and three pups were at the rendezvous site. The rest of the pack must have been off on a walkabout somewhere. We watched as the three youngsters separated the calf from the cow elk. I doubt that these were pups-of-the-year, they would have been much too young to do it. They were likely yearlings. The two adult wolves paced and watched as the three youngsters dodged the cow's kicks and managed to take down that calf.

The watchers on the hill quickly "took sides", some cheering for the pups and others for the elk. It was nature doing what nature does, but people couldn't help emotionally connecting with one or the other.

The cow elk was agitated for a few minutes and then just went back to grazing as if nothing had happened. She didn't even leave the area right away.

Wolves are still pretty easy to see in the Lamar Valley, but not as easy as it was during the couple of summers they used that rendezvous site. Elk have become more wary of wolves and wolves have become more wary of humans since wolf hunting has become legal.

It's still not legal to kill wolves in Yellowstone I hope, is it, katjh? BTW, I envy that experience you had in the Lamar Valley. While at Yellowstone a few years back, I longed to see even a single wolf, but didn't. Your description of what you witnessed would have been beyond my wildest dreams!!

[havalotta]

Gloria..How do you know if it is a male or female bumble bee?