For his birthday, I took my son to Tucano's, one of those Brazilian eat-meat fests with the complimentary mammoth buffet. As long as your toggle's green side is up, you just sit there and all varieties of savory, lip-smacking, fatty meats “walk” right up to your table.
My son is studying Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation at BYU. He just learned about apex predators and their role in different ecological communities.
Coincidentally, a client of mine sent me a link of hunters who had drawn permits to shoot wolves. It showed pictures of several successful hunters. Most were pictured holding their dead prey up in a Dancing with the Stars death hug, while beaming delightedly into the camera. The accompanying script pointed out what was readily apparent – that these fierce carnivores were as massive as the BYU linebacker who was making his third trip around the Tucano's buffet table. The author further lamented that there was a reason that these canines had been exterminated from the west. He opined that the "tree huggers" who reintroduced them did not understand that wolves were evil creatures that just killed for fun and that it would not be long til one of their gun-bereft children was taken by the pack. Then, they'd know how wrong they were!
I pondered this as I watched a 350-pound, 5' 9" man take slab after slab of pork loin, pork garlic loin, Sirloin roast, beef brisket, teriyaki beef, etc, etc. His fat bounded out from his mid-section like the continental shelve rings of the U.S. As I watched him gleefully pound down a couple of chicken hearts, I wondered how the hunters know that the wolves killed for "fun." Then, I watched a rotund family of four loading up on pasta salads, and I wondered if the wolf hunters had ever asked why tree-huggers had introduced an apex predator back into Yellowstone. Did these men, with their automatic high-powered rifles and ATVs, bear any resemblance to the mountain men that killed for their livelihoods in the 1800s? I bet those men, like Sting's father, would have hated our used-up world that isn't worth having, especially without some of its wildness.
However, the hunters were right. It is very possible that there will be a wolf pack victim in the future – just like there have been bear, cougar and rattlesnake fatalities. It will probably be the child of an inattentive parent who is target practicing while letting his kids run wild, or some superficial wannabe tree-hugger who thinks wolves are adorable.
We finished our meal by getting another slice of roasted pineapple. It was sooo good! While not overly stuffed, but with enough in our bellies to give us all an apex-predator waddle (and no longer living a life to justify it), we made our way back to our cushy car to head home. On the way, we listened as E.O. Wilson, the famous ant researcher and expert, shared a factoid on the number of ants on earth. My companion quipped, "Who cares how many ants there are?" Then I thought, What kind of person doesn't wonder about things? Probably the same kind of person who never thought to ask why a tree-hugging, wildlife manager would want to reintroduce an apex predator into Yellowstone. Probably the same person who has never wondered why a redneck doesn't think it is such a good idea. Both should be pondered. Both are the mark of a truly supreme apex predator. Remain curious my friends.
Loren M. Lambert © April 14, 2012
My son is studying Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation at BYU. He just learned about apex predators and their role in different ecological communities.
Coincidentally, a client of mine sent me a link of hunters who had drawn permits to shoot wolves. It showed pictures of several successful hunters. Most were pictured holding their dead prey up in a Dancing with the Stars death hug, while beaming delightedly into the camera. The accompanying script pointed out what was readily apparent – that these fierce carnivores were as massive as the BYU linebacker who was making his third trip around the Tucano's buffet table. The author further lamented that there was a reason that these canines had been exterminated from the west. He opined that the "tree huggers" who reintroduced them did not understand that wolves were evil creatures that just killed for fun and that it would not be long til one of their gun-bereft children was taken by the pack. Then, they'd know how wrong they were!
I pondered this as I watched a 350-pound, 5' 9" man take slab after slab of pork loin, pork garlic loin, Sirloin roast, beef brisket, teriyaki beef, etc, etc. His fat bounded out from his mid-section like the continental shelve rings of the U.S. As I watched him gleefully pound down a couple of chicken hearts, I wondered how the hunters know that the wolves killed for "fun." Then, I watched a rotund family of four loading up on pasta salads, and I wondered if the wolf hunters had ever asked why tree-huggers had introduced an apex predator back into Yellowstone. Did these men, with their automatic high-powered rifles and ATVs, bear any resemblance to the mountain men that killed for their livelihoods in the 1800s? I bet those men, like Sting's father, would have hated our used-up world that isn't worth having, especially without some of its wildness.
However, the hunters were right. It is very possible that there will be a wolf pack victim in the future – just like there have been bear, cougar and rattlesnake fatalities. It will probably be the child of an inattentive parent who is target practicing while letting his kids run wild, or some superficial wannabe tree-hugger who thinks wolves are adorable.
We finished our meal by getting another slice of roasted pineapple. It was sooo good! While not overly stuffed, but with enough in our bellies to give us all an apex-predator waddle (and no longer living a life to justify it), we made our way back to our cushy car to head home. On the way, we listened as E.O. Wilson, the famous ant researcher and expert, shared a factoid on the number of ants on earth. My companion quipped, "Who cares how many ants there are?" Then I thought, What kind of person doesn't wonder about things? Probably the same kind of person who never thought to ask why a tree-hugging, wildlife manager would want to reintroduce an apex predator into Yellowstone. Probably the same person who has never wondered why a redneck doesn't think it is such a good idea. Both should be pondered. Both are the mark of a truly supreme apex predator. Remain curious my friends.
Loren M. Lambert © April 14, 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment