Animals are NOT Humans

[hensdeliverthegoods]

This is just my opinion, but it's based on facts about animlas. I'm sure some will disagree, but I feel this needs to be said.

I really have a very hard time understanding why some people take it personally when they lose a bird(s) to a predator. While I can surely understand being upset and sad and wishing it didn't happen; the predator did not do it just to make a human mad. They are not capable of that type of reasoning or feeling. They are simply trying to survive and see an opportunity for a meal. They are as much a part of our local ecosystem as we are, and since we humans are the ones with reasoning abilities, it's incumbent on us to find a way to co-exsist. Most long-time livestock people accept that they will inevitably lose a few to predation. All we can do is do our best to prevent predation with how we house our livestock. After all, these are mostly domesticated birds and they rely us on for protection.

A balance of predators and prey is a sign of a healthy environment. Too many prey animals can be as harmful as too many predators. This is one of the reasons for legal deer-hunting, because they can over-breed and cause destruction.

I find most people are sensible about this, but I've seen so many that don't seem to understand that animals are not capable of human emotions and actions that it makes me feel rather concerned.

This post is not aimed at anyone in particular, by the way. Just putting it out there...

 

[HenHappy]

I am certainly not offended by your opinion at all. I think there are several different factors at work here. A lot has to do, obviously, with emotional attatchment to ones pets (I'm speaking of pets in general) and the loss is always hard to bear. Then there is the absolutely natural feeling of guilt that can sometimes happen. Part of the grieving process includes anger and guilt and even though the predator is only abiding by it's nature, we can intellectually know that, but that doesn't change the angry feeling. Does that make any sense?

 

[LoneCowboy]

I think most people understand that, but we as humans grieve for our animals, and animal are capable of grief too, whether it was a predator or not. Of course, if it's a domesticated animal doing the attack, that's a different story.

But since you have such a good understanding of it, I wish you would come here to Boulder County and educate these prairie dog lovers, that the prairie dogs are destorying our enviroment! That there aren't enough preditors left to keep them under control so we need to do something. Even if they are cute.

 

[hensdeliverthegoods]

That totally makes sense, henhappy, and I agree that anger is part of the grieving process. I'm just making a plea for people to not let the anger escalate to hunting down predators and killing them. I'm still startled every time I read of that. Perhaps I'm just naive....

 

[HenHappy]

I think part of that reaction is neccessary. If a predator KNOWS it can get a meal easily from one place, it will be back and in order to protect the remaining flock drastic measures can be the only thing one can do....yes?

 

[patandchickens]

Anger is not the only, or even the commonest, reason for killing predators. Often it is just a person trying to find a pragmatic way to protect the remainder of their flock.

I am not giving an opinion for or against it (and, see the sticky at the top of the Predators and Pests section of the board)... just pointing that out.


Pat, with no guns on the property for various good reasons, and thus no particularly satisfactory means of killing predators if I wanted to anyhow.

 

[lacyloo]

i agree we are incroaching on all animals habitats. Lots of people take madder into there own hands,"including me " kill the problem preadators.

but its true, animals are not human, animals were put on this eath to feed us.

 

[countryheelsfan]

It does not have to be anger. If something gets an animal of mine I go get it. I don't have to be angry to go kill it. I am protecting mine. We are predators to. Some hate to think of themselves that way, it's just not civilized. I like meat so I hunt it or raise it, if something is going to take something from me I will do what I need to to keep it from doing so. It is doing what is natural to it and so am I. I also keep honeybees and if something is ravaging my hives I will do whatever is necessary to protect it also. I see nothing wrong with that but anger is not the issue.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

Careful folks, this has the potential to become a very hot topic. Please repect others opinions and options in predator control, or lack there of.

Having said that personally I feel that as stewards of our areas (land) and critters it is our responsibility to not allow the native predators to find comfort and easy supply of food in our husbandry practice. For those predator that forgo warning, deterant or exclusion by fencing I feel it's our job to deal with them to prevent them teaching their future generations, and to prevent the danger these predators present to us if they become accustomed to us and our smell being at/near food. I do not consider relocation of a problem predator any sort of solution, just a relocation of the problem. An isolated loss, while tragic, is to be expected, especially if you free range.

 

[DuckLady]

I would never hunt down a possible predator just to keep it from my animals. However, once it crosses "that" line, then it is fair game to be trapped and taken care of.