There was much public outrage in May when two Canadian tourists loaded a newborn bison calf into their SUV over fears it wouldn’t survive the cold.
The calf had to be euthanized when its source herd at Yellowstone National Park wouldn’t re-accept it and when it caused a hazard by approaching people and cars in the park.
It begs the question: when did people begin to think Mother Nature doesn’t know what she’s doing?
The tourists had good intentions, even though they later faced a fine and criticism over inadvertently causing the animal’s death. And if their suppositions were correct, it might have died anyway.
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Nature is kind and nature is cruel. Left to its own devices, it weaves a daisy chain of interdependence among species.
Those in close touch with nature, like farmers and ranchers, are probably more aware of this than those whose main contact with animals is through pets.
The latter group is growing larger. An online study released in late May, involving 27,000 people in 22 countries, found that more than half of them own at least one pet. In Canada, 33 percent own a dog and 35 percent own a cat. That is close to the global average, according to the survey conducted by GfK of Germany and weighted to reflect the adult population.
Given trends toward urbanization, we can assume pet ownership is often the sole contact many people have with animals. And that means there are a lot of people worldwide who may be more inclined to think of all animals in the same way they view pets.
This isn’t a criticism of pet ownership. Dogs and cats and other critters are an important and enriching part of our lives.
However, domesticated pets are not wildlife, and Disney movies aren’t reliable indicators of how wild animals behave.
Sure, we all know that intellectually, but emotionally it seems many of us are wired to attempt helping wildlife, whether or not it is wise.
Summer vacation and camping trips to the lake or the mountains are coming up. Seeing wildlife as we get closer to nature is a great part of that.
However, don’t get too close, for your own good and that of wildlife. And don’t put wild animals in your SUV.
