Fad, fashion, politics and opinionssway from left to right like the pedulum on a clock. In the timeof Aristotle, it was thought that pulling the arms and legs offa monkey would be no different than pulling the hands off a clock. Shocking? Well, today the pedulum certainly has swung the otherway.
Audubon, patron saint of bird watchers,wrote on February 7, 1832, "The
white-headed eagle proved to be good eating, the flesh resemblingveal in
taste and tenderness." Audubon killed 5 bald eagles thatday for specimen and sport. Later, in 1888, Barton Evermann ofIllinois wrote, "Scarcely does an eagle come into our Statenow and get away alive."
During the first half of this century,our government paid people to kill eagles. From 1917 until 1952,more than 100,000 eagles were shot in Alaska for bounty money. From 1942 to 1962, in the southwest United States, 20,000 goldeneagles alone were shot.
Here comes that pendulum! Now our governmentspends thousands and thousands of dollars protecting our country'swildlife through the US Fish and Wildlife Service within the Departmentof Interior.
Fifty years ago, you picked a chicken,wrungits neck and had dinner Thirty minutes later. Here comes thependulum! Now that chicken (totally unrecognizable and removedfrom our conscious thought) is hidden between two warm toastedbuns. Products marked "Environmentally friendly" selllike hotcakes - even if it secretly took a rainforest to makethem!
Maybe in our world today, just maybe,the pendulum is swinging past reality. Cute Walt Disney moviesmake us believe that all animals are friendly little vegetariansthat love humans. Most of us don't live on a farm or walk inthe woods daily so we are far removed and comfortably distancedfrom the reality of nature's food chain.
This unreal look at the natural worldmakes it very unpopular to talk about predator prey relationships. Everyone wants to save the bunny, but no one wants to face theimportance of leaving an unmowed field for the hawk, the coyoteor the fox to hunt and eat the bunny. Even though IRC volunteersspent hundreds of hours caring for 273 bunnies in our hospitallast year, it is a reality to us that many of these rabbits WILLBE EATEN by other animals when released. That is part of theirpurpose on earth.
Another unpopular subject today is thefact that our pets interfere with the natural world. Pet ownerssometimes close their eyes to the knowledge that their belovedpets are unnatural predators that kill thousands of birds andsmall mammals every year in our country. More than any oil spillever has!
The Illinois Raptor Center's goal isto make people understand that wild animals DON'T WANT TO LIVEIN A TREE..........they WANT TO LIVE IN A FOREST! And surely andquickly, we are destroying habitat at an alarming rate. Righthere in Illinois - maybe in your backyard.
As we destroy swamps, wetlands, andold growth forests, we replace them with ponds and well-manicuredlawns. Everywhere you look - the same habitat. Canada geese,mallard ducks, starlings, sparrows, squirrels and raccoon habitat.Where on earth will the other species live if we don't save ALLthe varieties of habitat?
Understanding the natural systems that govern wildlife by JaneSeitz. Published Spring 2000.
Remember as Spring approaches to leavea little "green" for wildlife. An unmowed lot, a deadtree left standing, a brush pile not burned, a hedgerow not cut,a bush left untrimmed, a nestbox hung, grass clippings not raked,small sticks not picked up, acorns not gathered, fruit unpicked,a watchful eye along the roadside, a cat kept inside, a childtaught to care, a Peterson's Guide next to our chair. A lotof little things add up. Please contribute!
Jane Seitz
Executive Director