Just as I closed up my work computer for the evening I heard a loud bang. My first thought (I have a morbid imagination) was that my elderly neighbor just shot his wife. Then a second shot rang out; and a third.
"Leftover firecrackers", I thought.
After the next shot, I decided to investigate by looking out my windows. A few campers down, by the edge of the swamp, a teenage boy was shooting a gun. My heart was pumping now, and I called the campground office to report it.
The office said that a mama skunk and her almost-grown babies had been reported in the swamp, and they were trying to get rid of them by shooting them. Nobody had been sprayed, nobody had been hurt, and the skunks were keeping to themselved in the swamp. I've never smelled even a whiff of skunk scent.
Why can't we just leave well enough alone? Last year they were shooting the raccoons. The only time these critters cause damage is when we leave garbage out. Skunks eat mice and snakes and other pesty critters, and stick to themselves mostly.
I understand the fear of rabies - I really do. And I know that my view of nature is somewhat ideallic. But isn't there some sort of balance where we leave them alone as long as they leave us alone?
No comments:
Post a Comment