Non-human animals: Their eyes have it

                                        They were here before us -- the animals --

                                        and we were once them.

                                        Without understanding we watched the sunrise

                                        and the coming of night,

                                        registered the changing of seasons

                                        and dew on leaves that brushed our flanks.

                                        We, the animals,

                                        knew feelings, had a memory,

                                        exchanged sounds and visual cues,

                                        but did not know

                                        what came before

                                        or ask what was to come.

                                        . . .

                                        We were once them,

                                        and now are their custodians.

                                        They know we are different

                                        and their eyes tell us to keep our promise.

                                        . . . .

                                        from "The Animals," by Geoffrey Lehmann

 

“They know we are different.”

For countless numbers of wild animals in the world, there’s no doubt that some human animals have chosen to forget their promise: they capture, torture and kill the others, often boasting about their “skill” and comparing body counts with one another. 

Trophy hunters had cause to celebrate this year: first, inflated numbers of bear incidents provided by officials in charge added weight to calls for resuming the hunt.  Then NJ Gov. Phil Murphy made the hunt official again, lying in the process.  

The result: 330 NJ black bears were killed in six days last month -- and the opportunity for slaughter will continue for six more days in December.  In taking up a primitive pursuit to kill innocent animals, trophy hunters readily ignore any pangs of moral principle or compassion.  Shame should set in, but that’s unlikely: hunting is a sport, after all!

“We were once them, and now are their custodians.”

Deer, though widely admired, are also widely hunted.  And, invariably, media stories urge drivers to protect them during what is their mating season, when deer “are looking for love, not traffic,” as this year’s pitch put it.

Extra careful driving in fall may be, for some human animals, their only humane act on behalf of deer (and to be honest, for themselves too, since they would also be involved in the vehicular mayhem that could occur!).  To avoid a head-on crash, don’t swerve left to avoid hitting a deer, and don’t swerve right, to avoid a ditch, tree or pole. 

Best advice: drive slowly enough to look out for deer along the shoulder.  With time for it, a long honk of the horn might frighten them away from the road.  And too, slow down at “deer crossing” signs and remember that more deer usually follow the first one to cross because they typically move single file in family groups.

“their eyes tell us to keep our promise.”

There’s a continuum of us, the “human animals,” that ranges from those who treat their fellow (wild and domesticated) animals well – who keep their promise! – to the human animals who shamelessly abandon their promise to non-human animals.  (We know them: hunters, trappers, laboratory scientists, officials more intent on profit and pleasing hunters than much else . . . .)

Among the human animals who honor their beginnings with the first animals, a certain kind of individual and organization often stands out: those who act alone or with others who have organized to advocate for animals they were once one with – and in spirit, still are.

Do it now!

Help manage the booming cat population by getting cats spayed or neutered – and riding there in style!  Buy one or more $5 tickets to the “Rescue Rocks Raffle,” sponsored by the Animal Protection League of NJ (APLNJ).  

Including three prizes and a chance to help selected animal rescues, the drawing’s set for Nov. 21, with winners notified soon after.  Cats will be transported in APL’s KittyKab.   

Please remember:  send a self-addressed stamped envelope with payment ($5/ticket) to APLNJ, PO Box 186, Glen Gardner, 08826.

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