“Cows, just like humans and all other
animals, have a strong desire
to live and enjoy their one time on this
planet.” --Susie Coston,
national shelter director for Farm Sanctuary,
speaking about a
runaway
calf who escaped slaughter and hid in a forest for a month,
then
found a home for life.
So where did we leave off last time? Oh, right: killing animals. Let’s see:
squirrels first. There was that “1st annual” squirrel killing contest in Winslow Township that we all
prayed would be cancelled. But, despite
fervent pleas from animal advocates and disapproving statements from local
politicos and the Camden County Freeholders, it went on.
When you hear “squirrel killing contest,” do you picture a bunch of
caveman types running around with clubs, eager to murder innocent squirrels and
maybe win a prize? Maybe not, although
names of the groups involved could suggest that image: Inskip Antler Hunting
Club, ACP Redneck Pride, Ted’s Taxidermy.
But now, with discussions about both a Winslow ordinance and a state
law banning such sick and cruel events, we hope Winslow’s first ever squirrel
killing contest will also be the last one -- no “annual” about it. (And in the nitpicking department, as morally
and ethically wrong as this kill contest was, “1st annual” is also grammatically wrong. The first ever, or
inaugural, event may start a series, but not till the second time around can that
event become the “2nd annual.”)
 |
| Catster pic |
Let’s alternate animal good news, however minor, with the bad. Once again, California leads the enlightened
pack, this time in requiring pet stores to sell only animals from shelters or
rescue groups. A deserved slap at puppy
and kitten mills -- long overdue for penalties and closure -- this law helps assure
pet buyers healthy animals and lessens the cruelty of overbred females kept in squalid
conditions.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/us/california-pet-store-rescue-law.html?emc=edit_th_190103&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=207602740103
Which brings us back to the Anthropocene era we humans are busy creating -- the first period in history when the state of the environment and its flora and fauna all results from human activity. And we’re doing a number on it.
Next up as killing targets: insects. It’s being called an “Insect Apocalypse,” for good reason: scientists realized only recently that humans have been doing a thorough job of wiping out insects the world over.
Next up as killing targets: insects. It’s being called an “Insect Apocalypse,” for good reason: scientists realized only recently that humans have been doing a thorough job of wiping out insects the world over.
 |
| Honey bee |
“Because insects are legion, inconspicuous and hard to . . . track,” it
took a while for their absence to be noticed, even though “insects are the
vital pollinators and recyclers of ecosystems and the base of food webs
everywhere.” So now “attention must be
paid”!
Back to the good
news: This story’s about Millie, a traumatized and fearful rescue dog,
described as “a broken creature” by her patient, loving adopter. What Millie suffered in her earlier life is
unknown, but the steady love coming her way eventually wins her trust.
Finally, a fond
salute to Mary Oliver, the poet, who died last month. Besides beautiful poems about nature -- see “Peonies”
and “The Summer Day” -- she also wrote, wonderfully for me, about the dogs in
her life. As in this poem:
Little Dog’s
Rhapsody in the Night
He puts his cheek against mine
and makes small, expressive sounds.
And when I’m awake, or
awake enough
he turns upside down, his four paws
in the air
and his eyes dark and fervent.
“Tell me you love me,” he says.
“Tell me again.”
Could there be a sweeter
arrangement? Over and over
he gets to ask.
I get to tell.
(from Dog
Songs, Penguin Press, 2013)
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