Now, that other word: habituation. Ha-bit-u-a-shun. Habituation is when we provide a means for wild animals to learn that humans aren't really scary. People think it's cute. I mean heck, isn't it brag-worthy to say that you have grizzlies that eat on your porch? Oh, how about that you go into the wild and live for half a year among and with the grizzlies? I mean, talk about bragging rights! Right? Or how about those misguided humans that think wildlife are so stinkin' cute that they need to be cuddled and turned into pets? Sadly, to attain this goal, the easy way to lure said wildlife is with food. "Bless it, it's just hungry... let's leave it some dog chow." These misguided humans are so dead wrong... and when I say dead, I'm generally referring to the animal they are "taking care of". It's a wild animal. WILD. You want to do it favors? Try leaving it alone and letting it retain its fear of people and staying wild. You like freedom, right? Why would you steal their freedom out of a sense of "helping"? What so many don't realize is that it's not just freedom they are taking from the animal... too often, it's the animals life itself. Why: SHEER SELFISHNESS.
I can go on rabid tirades about both of these words. I can cuss up a storm, stomp my feet and raise my voice... and you know what I hear from the recipient of my tirade? "But it's just so cute!" Yeah? Well, duh... it's a giant, fuzzy, animated version of the fluffy thing you slept with as a kid. But for the love of all that is good and green, stop being so selfish! Before I go off the deep end (where I am constantly threatening to dive anyhow) I'm going to hand this blog over to Chief. You know why? Because he knows. He knows what it's like to say "we have to put that bear down... it's been too habituated and we can't release it back into the wild." Yes, he's made those tough calls... ones that we - the bunny-loving, fern-cuddling people would freak out if we had to make. A long time ago, I was a habituator... maybe not a serial habituator, but I still had that dolt-like mindset that I was doing good. Over time and with education on the reality of things, I have been reformed... but instead of me ranting on endlessly... let him tell you. Chief, care to enlighten?
(Stephanne)
At least I don't have to worry about you sugar coating anything now, Stephanne, do I?
There are not many aspects of my job I dislike but there is one aspect I absolutely despise. It is when our guys have to clean up the often unnecessary and always innocent "casualties" of ignorance. In this case, that ignorance is the habituation of our wildlife.
First off, I must stress that ignorance is usually (although not always) caused by a lack of information. And its up to us, as wildlife professionals, to do our part to make sure YOU GUYS have the information you need to make good decisions when it comes to wildlife.
Secondly, notice how "wildlife" is spelled. It's spelled...W-I-L-D-l-i-f-e (hint, hint.). Believe it or not, a wild animal's life is best spent in the wild. Makes sense doesn't it? But why? It's really quite simple. In almost all cases, the further away a wild animal is from man, the longer it lives. This is because we introduce all sorts of man-made threats that the animal doesn't normally encounter. From the obvious, such as vehicle strikes and poaching, to the not-so-obvious, such as disease introduction and behavior modification, animals in general do not fair well in our midst.
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Knowing this, one realizes that "Killing them with Kindness" is a concept that is surely grounded around the habituation of animals.Though folk may believe they are helping animals by feeding them, in truth, they may be doing them more harm than good.
Sooo...
When we say...
WE MEAN IT!
This not only means directly feeding wildlife but also indirectly feeding them by allowing food or garbage to be accessible to them. Trust me, it's not because we like being party poopers, rather, it's because we love our wildlife. By feeding wild animals we often create situations that put their lives in jeopardy.
Though there are thousands of instances and scenarios I can describe, there is one that stands out since it is so pertinent to this story...and it just so happened to involve a bear.And easiest part of this blog is that I don't even have to write. I shall simply let the pictures tell the story...
Before anyone gets too upset...this story has a happy ending. This bear lived!
Officer Hammonds did an absolutely incredible job and was able to save this bear's life. Unfortunately though not all stories have a happy ending. Oftentimes we are called when it's too late. Either the animal has already succumbed, or even worse, we have to make the gut-wrenching decision when an animal can not be released.
And in those dreadful situations, we absolutely hate our job.
Be mindful of our wildlife and enjoy the outdoors!
(And it's not Chief...just Daryl)
There was a time when seeing a bear with a jar type contraption on their head would have amused me. I would have giggled just as I would after seeing a cat always managing to land on all fours regardless of the awkward position they were initially in before falling. After being continually educated on that backward mindset, I found myself frowning at that picture. It's quite simple - if we continue to habituate our wildlife, there will come a time when we will no longer have the pleasure of observing these amazing creatures in their natural habitat. Listen to them, people - leave the wildlife alone. Much like a kid in a candy store being scorned by their parents; look but DON'T touch.
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