We are fortunate enough to live in an area rich with wildlife – black bears, raccoons, coyotes etc can been seen or heard on a regular basis. Regardless of what/how an area is zoned, or deemed to be used for, wildlife will continue to adapt to the constant change and continuous destruction of their habitat and try to survive.
Open composting activity or providing any food enticement for any wildlife is a recipe for disaster. One that usually results in the animals dying. All animals, including us, are opportunistic and why not! Wildlife will take advantage of free food. What they do not follow are the humans’ rules we lay out and assume that they should. It is all very normal for an animal to be eating food wherever they can find it- in the forest, beside your house, anywhere. For an animal to show fear and react, it uses valuable energy that they may not have to lose. A light going on may not ignite a fight or flight reaction from an animal nor a quiet human, sitting at a distance.
Living on the Bruce Peninsula, we have chosen a rural, wildlife inhabited, peaceful place. Sharing this area with other 2-legged, 4-legged, winged, and slithering animals. Having the wildlife here continues to educate and provide us with a look at how healthy our ecosystem is. We humans are really the only unhealthy part of the system.
The fact that we can see wildlife is amazing. Bears are truly a beautiful species. Seeing a handful in a season gives us a plethora of information on what is happening in the natural world. Given the mortality rate of cubs living to breeding age, six, nine or two individuals is not exceptionally high – especially coming from an overabundance species that are exhausting all the resources and continue to spread throughout the world at an alarming rate.
Respect them. The fact that they can still survive here – in what is becoming an ever increasing, fragmented habitat and sporadic concrete pads – is amazing! We will see them more as their space is manipulated for our needs. The land has not increased in size and is being altered and destroyed. And all the animals that make the Bruce Peninsula home, where are they expected to go?
It is our responsibility to preserve all who live here. We chose to live with beauty instead of the concrete jungles elsewhere. We can find and use safe alternatives to protecting the wildlife as well as property. Killing another being should be the last resort – and only when human life may be at risk. Items can be replaced – a life cannot. We can educate ourselves and redirect wildlife behavior – removing the food enticements which do include bird feeders and corn piles.
Wildlife are here for future generations to help maintain a heathy ecosystem, with genetic diversity. We are not at the top of this life pyramid – one would have thought COVID reiterated that point. All species have a right to live without persecution and hatred. Respect and be kind as they too are trying to survive.
Kathryn Hauck
