Being a nature lover and self professed introvert, I have long ago come to accept the fact that aside from a few close friends, I am most comfortable communing with the natural world. I have been fortunate that much of my life has been spent living in places where I have been surrounded by nature's quiet beauty. Whenever the cute mice or spiders wandered inside my various cottages, they were gently caught and released unharmed back outside.
Three years ago, I felt strongly compelled to take on a battle to save my beloved lake from a chemical called 2,4D used to kill invasive plant species. The exhausting battle was lost that first year and the resulting devastation from 2000 lbs. of this chemical application to the lake was heart breaking. You can't upset the delicate balance of nature without a great loss of wildlife. Many fish, frogs and countless other species died on that day. Due to the hard work and dauntless spirit of a few dear people these past 2 years, the course is slowly changing to a gentler way of treating the delicate and damaged ecosystem of the lake. It appears to be slowly recovering and there is hope. Without the help of these dedicated people, I would have given up long ago.
Our neighbor, here in a subdivision that is very close to the city, has chickens. I have enjoyed watching their feathered antics and really like the idea of raising chickens a lot, even though they seem to get a kick out of digging up my flowers on a regular basis. I could learn to love a chicken or two.
I can't say that I am fond of my neighbor, since he bragged last spring about his nifty method of getting rid of what he considers backyard pests, such as squirrels and chipmunks. I'll spare you the details. Since I don't really know him and hadn't witnessed his pest control tactics, I opted to mind my own business. I have experienced the patronizing attitudes of those that see us as separate from the natural world too often. I am not comparing my neighbor's activities to the situation at my lake. I realize that the death of a few squirrels, chipmunks and raccoons will not upset the balance of nature here. What I find disturbing is how we can distance ourselves from any feelings of connection or responsibility to the natural world. It feels like a dangerous way to view the world to me.
A few weeks ago, a raccoon broke into his poorly constructed chicken coop and injured one of his chickens. He super glued her wounds shut, but she didn't survive. I didn't realize then that he declared a war on all raccoons that enter his yard.....until I came out to pick some tomatoes in my little garden. I saw him doing something behind the bushes that separate our property from his, at the same time that I heard several popping noises. It took me a few moments to comprehend that he was attempting to shoot and kill a raccoon he had caught in a live trap. Apparently he is a lousy shot because while I was getting completely hysterical, he had to go back into his house to get more ammunition to finish the job. (Sorry for the mind picture.)
I am now way too familiar with the feeling of rage.
I have had a week to calm down and think about it and still have no answers. I am only suffering from my own inability to understand this war on nature that is even more prevalent in the suburbs.
Don't get me wrong.....I do understand wanting to protect your chickens, but building a better chicken coop would seem to be the answer to that problem. There will always be another raccoon or even a fox, and you can't kill them all. Perhaps I am naive. I know I don't belong here...where I have to witness the daily and seemingly senseless killing of animals.
I have written about my starving fox friend who visits me now and then. http://hollykallie.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-shape-shifter.html She is looking better since I have fed her several times. I think she can take care of herself now, but I still wonder at her fate. The last time she came by, she ate her bowl of food at the edge of the bushes. When she was finished, she looked up and made eye contact with me for several seconds before she loped off. I believe she was thanking me.
I finally looked up the city ordinance which clearly states that you cannot kill any wildlife here without a permit..FOR ANY REASON. So I made a phone call, and it turns out that you can't have chickens here either unless you have 3 acres of land.
I will miss them.
They haven't been removed yet, but in the meantime I will entertain myself by crawling through the bushes in the dark and quietly shutting my neighbor's trap!
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