Aren't They Cute!

What are people thinking when they encounter wildlife?  Some recent events have simply boggled my brain.  For example, yesterday, it was reported in the news that a young woman in Alaska saw a Moose foraging in a park.  She decided she wanted to pet the Moose.  When she got too close it kicked her in the chest and shoulder.  Moose can weigh in over 1500 pounds!  There are more Moose attacks than Bear attacks.  Closer to home, I recently learned of a woman who puts out food for Javelina and Coyotes in her neighborhood.  So when one of her neighbors opened his garge door and a Coyote walked in looking for a handout, the startled man grabbed his rifle and fired.  The area is now minus one Coyote.  To make matters worse, it appears that she may have had pups.  Minus XXX Coyotes.  Some would say, "who cares?", but without Coyotes we would be overrun with all kinds of critters.  These highly intelligent and adaptive predators help to keep things in balance.  Imagine what will happen when this woman stops feeding these creatures.  They will continue to roam the area looking for a handout, and because they have lost their instinctual fear of people, will get into trouble, which usually ends fatally for the animal.  By the way folks, in the state of Arizona, it is illegal to feed wildlife.  The nice folks at AZ Game and Fish have a quaint little saying, "A fed animal is a dead animal."  Believe it.  Even something a seemingly benign as feeding birds can cause trouble.  Have you noticed how messy birds are?  They spill seed from the feeder onto the ground.  Or seed is cast out on the ground or in a seed block.  At night, when the birds are gone, rodents come out searching for leftovers.  Then snakes and other small predators like owls and fox move in for a quick meal.  Then the larger predators like coyotes and bobcats check out all the action.  Maybe even a mountain lion.  In the photo above, a friend of mine caught this racoon raiding his cat's food.  He now feeds his cats indoors.  I have heard of coyotes following pets right through "doggie doors" into the house!  Last year I was called out to remove a skunk from someone's kitchen.  It was hiding under the stove.  I can still smell that one!  Let's keep our wild neighbors, wild.  Let them fend for themselves the way it was meant to be.  Stepping down from my soapbox.

Mark - Naturally!