FINDING BALANCE WITH NATURE: PROTECTING THE WORLD’S MOST ENDANGERED SPECIES AND ECOSYSTEMS

Posted by jennifer on December 29, 2008 in Dog & Wolf News / Issues.

Balance on earth, the very land that we inhabit is threatened daily by the downfall in climate change and the world’s eco-systems. A large part of this threat affects life as we know it and our number one predators are falling off the map. Most people don’t realize the affects animals have exactly on our environment and why they are so important. For example- the oldest predator in the world- the shark, has been wiped out by 90% due to shark fining and over fishing. What does that mean if we loose that predator to the ocean? Well, it can have drastic results. We need the ocean to produce oxygen so we can breathe. If we loose the shark, no one knows what will happen in the fall of the collapse of the ocean but sure enough, this will have a devastating impact to humanity as a whole. Usually when a predator is removed (as witnessed with the wolf population in Yellowstone National Park), many other organisms and species are affected. When the wolf is not present to move herds of elk, the elk stop moving- therefore they are not irrigating the grass with their hooves. When they are standing still, they are eating up new cottonwood, aspen and willow trees near the rivers so the landscape is affected and these new trees stop growing. Yellowstone has been a big experiment in ecology of recent times. By having had the wolf removed for seventy years due to the human act of eliminating what we fear and do not understand, we are essentially witnessing the affects on an already established eco-system backwards by re-introducing a top predator. So why are these trees by the rivers so important? Because they cause shade over the water which cools the temperature down and provides favorable conditions for trout. The results go all the way down the line. In fact, I could do an hour explanation on the affects at Yellowstone just because of one single predator being re-introduced. This great ecology experiment has been historical- we have never before witnessed this.
The elk population in Yellowstone has significantly decreased but this is actually a good sign. You see, once a creature gets out of control with nothing to bring their numbers down, it has devastating affects to everything around it. Now bring in the human being as a predator who’s numbers have significantly gotten out of control. What’s happening is over consumption of earth’s resources. It’s the same thing as the trees not growing next to the rivers anymore. Our oceans are being polluted, our wildlife is being killed off, and mass consumption of oil and natural elements lead us to such things as global warming causing the ice burgs to melt and Polar Bears without a home and the list goes on. You can see the chain effect…
I am a firm believer in the Native American’s belief’s and respect to all life. Yes, I eat meat but I don’t eat at McDonald’s. Friends of mine will buy into a local farm raised, grass eating cow that lives a wonderful life. I am a predator but that meat is not only less expensive but will last me all year. The animal is raised naturally living a wonderful life. There is no waste in the Native American culture. An animal that is killed for food- every part of that animal is used. Traditional Native American’s will also bless an animal before killing it. They will use the fur to keep warm, the skull as a ceremony piece, horsehair to make pottery or earrings, etc. Every piece- not wasted.
As an advocate for wildlife and a researcher into wolf and dog behavior, I’ve met some very interesting people along the way. I have met those that are all or nothing, radical in their thinking and some that live lives that portray their passion in beliefs in a way similar to my own. I am a believer that nature should work as intended. That means, if you want to hunt an animal, you hunt to eat or to feed your family for a year. Which means you hike into a forest on your own to feet, you follow and study a heard and you drag that meat out possibly over two miles to bring it home. If you shoot a pack of wolves in an airplane, or go out with your buddies to go hunting for sport, don’t look for my support in any way, shape or form. I was recently passing by a store in Estes Park, Colorado. They have a stuffed wolf being displayed in their window. There was a card that said something to the affect that this particular wolf came from Russia and was rare though not an endangered species. If this animal were rare, why would you kill it, stuff it and display it for all to see? They also have a moose head on the wall, a stuffed lynx and the list goes on. Is this what we want our children to see? When they look back at us, won’t they think of us as barbaric?
Some of the greatest life lessons taught to me have been through nature. I live my life similar to what wolves have taught me in the wild. Wild earth holds many life lessons. We sit here today at such a monumental time. Our economy has gone down the tubes, many have lost jobs and can’t afford the luxuries that they once have. That means more homeless people on the streets, more people getting down to the basics again and rebuilding. Change is on the rise. It is here and it is now if we want it.
The interesting thing about the shark and the wolf is that they are actually very shy animals. A wild wolf has never attacked one human being in the course of history. The shark doesn’t tear off a human’s flesh to eat for dinner. It investigates. On the very rare occasion to figure out what we are, it may bite to investigate but the statistics show that the majority of bites do not cause severe injury or death. Yes, dogs kill more people than sharks do.
I have dove in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans with sharks. I have studied them. I have been within feet in the Great Barrier Reef of a large nurse shark, I’ve dove with tiger sharks in Florida and dove the lava tubes in Maui with the white tip reef sharks. I appreciate their elegance, movement, sensory perception and intellect. Why should we fear these creatures? Well, with movies such as Jaws and the media’s portrayal of the big, bad wolf in the water- we have every reason to be fearful. It’s funny though- I’ve put myself in a school of sharks and I never was bit once.
The fear of the shark is the same as the fear of the wolf. We fear what we do not understand and we kill what we fear. Little Red Riding Hood was a favorite book of mine growing up. So was Curious George. I loved them both but not that many people are afraid of monkeys. Is it the big teeth that the wolf had in the book to eat Little Red Riding Hood with? In fact, more people cause injury to other people than wild animals do. Did you know that the highest injuries (90%) that are caused to women are due to domestic violence? How many man made drugs kill people everyday? I have a feeling a lot more than the shark, wolf or mountain lions do combined. Media creates the monsters that live in our closets.
In order to get along with us, sharks, wolves, etc. have developed a fear of humans. But they do not posses fear and then kill us because of it. Only humans do that. They have developed ways in which to learn to avoid us. It’s nearly impossible to get close to a wolf in the wild. They don’t want anything to do with people because we have killed so many of them for so long. So who are the intelligent animals here? To me, we sound like we are not intelligent at all. Sometimes too intelligent to pass up the simplicities of life on earth by always needing to create bigger, better, faster and more intelligent things. Let’s look into the future- backwards by respecting life, protecting our environments and resources.
I find that it doesn’t take an army to create change. It only takes the will of a small population of people. What gives rise to this is a better situation in the future for everyone. We are not God and we shouldn’t play God. If we change ourselves by just a few people, we will create the change that is needed in the world. We have not been here as long as the shark or the wolf so let’s look to them for the advice for they ones that have been here before us.
In 2009 you will soon see a fund headed by World Class Dog Training to help wolves in horrible conditions being kept as pets, to educate the media and the public on why animals are so important to our eco-systems, and to restore and protect the wolf as a species. I urge everyone to think about the animals that we fear and destroy. Whether it is elephants, polar bears or sharks- too many of these animals are without a voice and our planet is suffering. They need your help. In the meantime, please see Defenders of Wildlife (www.defenders.org) for more information on how you can make a difference. Remember- it doesn’t take an army to create the change that you want to see in the world.

"When the Earth is sick, the animals will begin to disappear, when that happens, The Warriors of the Rainbow will come to save them." — Chief Seattle

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