Saturday, January 17, 2015

Who the Predator, Who the Prey?

AP photo

Who the predator, who the prey?
Sister Wolf, run fast away.
Hide your babies, the long guns come.
Run, Brother Wolf, I beg you,
Run!

You must think  we all are blind,
we humans who are so unkind.
I cannot bear the thought of you,
in shock, at what we humans do.

My tears dont help. My love cant reach.
Earth's lessons it's too late to teach
us how to live upon the land, 
guns all that some can understand.

I cannot bear the thought of you,
crazed with fear below the planes.
Run fast, my beauties. Flee the pain.
I pray that some of you remain
to start your families once again.


The B.C. government, with its consistent lack of wisdom, has given away vast tracts of the people's land to corporate interests over the decades, thus severely decimating wildlife habitat. In a typical knee-jerk reaction, it has decided the way to prevent dwindling caribou herds from extinction, at this late date, is to send sharp-shooters in helicopters to "cull" up to 184 wolves in the South Peace  and South Selkirk regions.

Given the mindset of anyone involved in the decimation of B.C. forests, I am not surprised that Assistant Deputy Minister Tom Ethier, Ministry of Forests, deems the shooting of wolves from helicopters "the most humane way to  remove  wolves."

This  typically short-sighted "solution" demonstrates this government's chronic inability to grasp long-term and nature-based sustainable stewardship of the land.

"B.C.'s plan faced immediate resistance from environmentalists, who condemned such mass culls as inhumane and ineffective, while accusing the government of ignoring the habitat degradation at the heart of the caribou's plight," stated Global News.

"The B.C. government has declared war on wolves", says Ian McAllister, conservation director of Pacific Wild. "The government has not moved to protect adequate habitat." On CBC Radio yesterday, he said "What is happening here is not the shooting of herds. We are killing families, of this highly intelligent and iconic animal."

"Habitat loss, not wolves, is driving the caribou decline," agrees Paul Paquette, of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. "Caribou are on a long-term slide to extinction because of what humans have done.

A similar program has been in place in Alberta since 2006, with a thousand wolves being shot from helicopters or poisoned.

I have to ask: who is the predator and who the prey? Who is the more intelligent species? Sadly, I know the answer only too well. Goddess help us, for we clearly know not what we are doing.

To sign the petition to stop the killing of B.C. Wolves  click here to go to Pacific Wild.



http://globalnews.ca/news/1775813/b-c-hunting-wolves-by-helicopter-to-save-endangered-caribou/


36 comments:

  1. Oh, I so agree with you, Sherry. It is dreadful to shoot and kill all those wolves. So senseless. I hope something will happen to make them reconsider. Such decisions will be regretted later if they are not stopped.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I never really liked hunting or killing in general, so I can sympathize with you on this one Sherry. I think it is wrong for governments to push wildlife habitats aside for the sake of modern progression. This is where national parks and wildlife sanctuaries come in handy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Terrible! I am in agreement with you, Sherry--your poem also pleads your case. Thanks. k. (http://manicddaily.wordpress.com)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wonderful song to the wolves over a terrible reality. It admires them, it mourns for losses, it's angry at humans, it marks these unbearable times.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your poem made me feel close to these wolves and I was horrified when I read what was happening to them. In France, they are reintroducing wolves but the shepherds do not like it much as they fear for their sheep and the cost involved.

    ReplyDelete
  6. However fierce or wild, there are better ways other than killing. A pity the tendency for quick solutions make man 'wild' as the wolves! Great lines Sherry!

    Hank

    ReplyDelete
  7. Indeed.. We have a dwindling wolf - population here in Sweden too (actually it has been growing from next to zero). The opinion to kill them of is strong though, and here it's a constant source of conflict between cities (wanting to keep the wolf) and people in the countryside who want to have them killed...

    ReplyDelete
  8. they are such beautiful creatures.. it is terrible to shoot them..ugh...we take away their life territory and then need to get them out of the way...that makes me sick...ugh

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sadly this is happening all over the world and is especially repugnant in countries like Australia as well as Canada and other first world nations who cannot be forgiven for their one eyed greed.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This beautiful piece works as well as a metaphor..we seek to destroy beauty we do not understand (on the whole) happy sunday to you Sherry..may those wolves always run

    ReplyDelete
  11. I can feel the pain and the hurt in this, i can only shake my head as we bow to the idol of money and power and forget the beauty of creation. Thank you for this.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Some corporations tried to rule the world and not thinking much of the environment. I feel that sometimes it's really difficult to reconcile what's happening on our world. Wish more concern for the environment / wildlife will be focused on.

    ReplyDelete
  13. its much like the deer population around here....there is the thinning each year...and traditionally we have thinned back predators as well...its sad for the wolf...but it also changes our ecosystem...which will effect us eventually as well....

    ReplyDelete
  14. read a cool book to my grand daughter...Look to the North... a Wolf Pup Diary... it was so cool to follow their growth... she is fascinated by Wolf's... maybe because it's my last name... life is fragile

    ReplyDelete
  15. The poem reminded me of the plight of US wolves. A Minnesota Congressman is pushing to remove them from the endangered species list, due to a population spike even after an attempt to kill half the population in 2014. Now I know the reason, they are moving south because its not safe up north anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  16. luv your empathy for the situation of those wolves

    nice write, have a good Sunday

    much love...

    ReplyDelete
  17. I have trouble hearing of things like this. There is so much irrrational killing going on. I feel so helpless. How do we combat the ignorance of folks who feel so separate from animals and other humans? Ugh. My heart breaks.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Powerful and sad poem. I think maybe we need talk more about safe ways to spread the wolf's population...

    ReplyDelete
  19. Strong and sad.

    Some people have very few clues about balance and reason.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Did you ever wonder whether the gov't is cold, calculated evil, or merely incompetent? I suggest the former! Long live the wolves!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Your heart is evident in your poem, Sherry. So sad. I second Loredana's words.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I addition to your heart felt empathy, the pace you've injected here is the stand out thing here, Sherry - a great representation of the 'fleeing wolf' that risks falling prey to the modern world... Great!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I follow animal rights pages on Facebook, and I saw a post about wolves.. Beautiful poem.. I feel so angry whenever talk about killing animals comes up, be it for 'sport' or 'conservation'..

    ReplyDelete
  24. Excellent argument Sherry! ...and a nice piece on it. We are so short sited as a civilized society that regardless of our accomplishments, ignorance continues to prevail.

    ReplyDelete
  25. This is heartbreaking and so many times the decisions that are being made are so short-sighted in the bigger scheme of our environment and the sustainability of all life forms. You have expressed that so well here.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I can't stand what we humans allow. This is infuriating and heartbreaking all at once. The voice you give here is so important, Sherry. Thank you.

    This, " "What is happening here is not the shooting of herds. We are killing families, of this highly intelligent and iconic animal." is exactly what I was thinking before I read your commentary and it's the part that kills me...they're families...just like us. So sad and I echo Mama Zen..."stupid."

    ReplyDelete
  27. This happens the world over, doesn't it, Sherry. The natural world does suffer.

    ReplyDelete
  28. There's so much that I feel from your words, Sherry. So much heaviness that needed to be expressed. Your heart is a gift.

    ReplyDelete
  29. this is so sad, placing the decline of caribou herds on the wolves. :(
    i can feel your pain for these magnificent creatures in your poem.

    ReplyDelete
  30. oh, this touched my heart.

    i am in total agreement with this madness, the ignorance of destroying the innocent lives of creatures.

    thank you, sherry, for being another kind soul to give voice for the voiceless.

    the inhumanity must be stopped!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Oh this makes e cry Sherry! When will we learn?

    ReplyDelete
  32. Do run fast!
    Take care of yourself!

    ReplyDelete
  33. those bleeping bleeping bleeping bleeps ~

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for visiting. I appreciate it and will return your visit soon.