Nature Versus Man

I mentioned here a couple weeks ago that a marauding bear had been spotted near where I live. Seeing bears around here, especially spring through autumn, is not that unusual. What was different about this bear was that it seemed to have lost its fear of humans, a “normal” part of a black bear’s temperament. They typically avoid interacting with humans, and are usually quite easy to scare off if necessary, requiring extra caution usually only when dealing with a mother and her cubs. This bear broke into someone’s trailer and raided their refrigerator. Sounds kind of humorous, I know, but I wouldn’t have wanted to be the unfortunate person huddled in the corner while a quite large black bear stood between me and the only available exit, checking out the groceries.

Photo from Port Townsend Leader

Fish and Game was called, a live trap set, and one unwelcome intruder was moved to another location in the forest. Happy ending? Maybe. I’ve got mixed emotions about it, even if the bear’s behavior was out of the ordinary. I think it’s inevitable that eventually, they’re going to evolve and become accustomed to sharing this wilderness with us human beings, get a little less skittish and then what do we do? Relocate them all? We’re not talking about the suburbs here. The population density out here on this peninsula is barely a blip in the census. There are more deer than people living here, and almost as many bears, not to mention a substantial number of wild cats like bobcat and cougar.

Here’s where the story gets a little messy. The same week the black bear "crossed the line”, a cougar (mountain lion, same thing) helped itself to a sheep. According to Fish and Game, cougars and humans have peacefully coexisted for a long time out here, the cougar typically preying on deer and smaller animals for food. It’s a healthy balance, the cougar keeping the deer population in check, part of Nature’s perfect plan for this quiet wilderness environment.

On this day, however, this unfortunate cat made the fatal mistake of wanting lamb for dinner instead of venison. The owners of the missing sheep, upon discovering it featured as the catch of the day at the wildlife buffet during their morning rounds (which implies they left it out unguarded all night) called 911. Am I missing something here? Even more surprising to me, Fish and Game came out with their houndsman, tracked the big cat, and killed it. Now why, you say, couldn’t they relocate the cougar the same way they did the bear? Because according to the F&G officer, once a cougar kills domestic livestock, it will continue to do so. You don’t say. Gee, didn’t his mommy teach him when he was a cub to tell the difference between a fawn and a ewe? I find this disturbing on so many levels that it is difficult to even articulate. I know nothing of the people who owned the sheep other than their general location and the interview they gave to the newspaper, and I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt, but first of all, when you make a decision to move someplace where there’s more wild animals than people by a longshot, (and that’s not likely to change out here anytime soon) you have a responsibility to figure out a way to peacefully coexist with said wildlife, and that doesn’t include calling 911 for a slaughtered sheep that ended up that way because it seems you forgot to put it in the barn last night!

It is my opinion that this action by Fish and Game sets a disturbing precedence. Can I call them every time the coyotes kill one of my cats or the raccoons do away with the chickens and have those pesky critters done away with? My educated guess is that this is far from being the first item of domestic livestock to be killed by a cougar out here. When you live in the woods, and a hungry beast kills one of your animals, you ask yourself, "What can I do to protect my livestock/pets better and keep them out of harms way?" You sure as heck don't go around killing off the indigenous wildlife for their infractions.

Photo from Port Townsend Leader

We have some fairly inaccessible acreage in our woods, areas where the wildlife thrives undisturbed. Everytime I walk through these areas, I carry a whistle, cell phone, and depending on the time of year, a gun. Yes, a gun, despite my aversion to needless slaughter, because my young granddaughter spends the summer with us, and walking the mile or two down to her beach requires going through areas frequented by bear and cougar and unguarded, she is potentially as tempting a target as any domestic livestock. It is not unusual at all to find cougar tracks on the beach at low tide, and considering that high tide pretty much covers our whole beach, that means that big guy was there right before us. It’s called nature, and our unspoken agreement is that the wildlife skidaddles when they hear us coming, but it doesn’t always work that way. Now, if that cougar last week had attacked a human child, I could feel differently about is dispensation. But an unguarded sheep?

Read the links, sound off, and let me know how you feel about this. No need to be mean or get nasty if you disagree, but I’d like to hear your opinions. Meanwhile, that mountain lion that leaves tracks all over my back yard and beach would do well to stick to the wildlife for now.