"The hunter seldom realizes when he is the one being hunted. He walks in the woods, rifle in hand, eyes alert for his quarry's prints on snow-dusted ground. He searches for spoor or sits perched in his tree blind, waiting for the bear to lumber into view. It never occurs to him that his prey might be watching him, biding its time until he makes a mistake."
Tess Gerritsen, from her book "The Silent Girl"
This is not my photo, sadly. There are no grizzly bears left in California to photograph because they were hunted to extinction by 1922. Ironic, tragic and stupid, since a grizzly first appeared on the California state flag in 1846 and was signed into law as the official state flag in 1911.
And sadder still is that they are now endangered everywhere as will be the wolves and any predator that dares to cross man's path. We kill off the predators and wonder why the prey species are over running everything. Man just doesn't think in terms of balance and fairness ... I think we are consumed with greed and lose sight of the fact that, in the long run, we will be the losers. A sad state of affairs ...
ReplyDeleteAndrea @ From The Sol
Andrea, I couldn't agree with you more. What man has done to this planet makes my heart hurt.
ReplyDeleteAgreeing with Andrea. In NC the very few red wolves that have been brought back from near extinction are now being shot by hunters who think the red wolves are coyotes. I could weep.
ReplyDeleteI so like this quote. And it's so true.
ReplyDeleteHow arrogant are hunters to think that they too aren't being watched.
Sadly though, they are the ones with a slight advantage, with their fire power.
I've always been fascinated by beautiful bears. And, the Grizzly the most majestic of them all.
I'm very sad to know that they are on the California state flag, yet do not exist in the state that honours their image.
So very sad.
I'll never understand the greed, profit and fear that fuels humans to do what they do.
Over here in the west, the law has been passed to cull sharks off the coast. Because they say that they are a risk to people who go into the water.
The divers/swimmers that have died, knew the risk they took entering the water. And, their families have said that those killed would be deeply saddened by this knee-jerk reaction.
Sharks. Magnificent creatures. It breaks my heart to see these gloriously perfect, supreme, huge, ancient fish be hooked and dragged alongside boats, killed and dragged and dumped further out to sea - once their home.
Of all places on this earth, deep water is the most hostile to humans. Yet we insist on conquering it, over-fishing it, polluting the cool, clean waters with fuel, plastic and line so that whatever sea creatures are left, die horribly.
Like whaling, I can't stand the paltry reasons given for the slaughter. And, the poor dolphins of the cove.
My heart breaks for the Earth's creatures. What miserable, cruel, self-centred beings humans can be.