Friday, December 28, 2007

Tiger-Tiger burning bright -- no more


TIGER, tiger, burning bright In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
- William Blake




A number of years ago an outdoors writer at the newspaper at which I toiled raised a bit of a foofaraw amongst the more sensitive of his readers by taking the side of a cougar in camping trip attack in which a family’s beloved toy poodle found its way into the big cat’s gullet. The owners of said poodle – which had been yapping at the giant feline that outweighed it about 100 times – were distraught over the incident, of course.

Our writer said, and I paraphrase: “Considering the number of cougars that have been tracked down and killed by dogs over the years, I think this turnabout was fair play.”

Cougars, the most magnificent animals to be seen in these parts, are invariably hunted by killers with packs of dogs which proceed to tree the beast so the paid assassin of cougars (and they exist and are called into play whenever a community is collectively wetting its pants over the sight of a -- gasp! -- wild animal in its midst) can expedite it with a bullet.

What the anti-cougar brigade tends to forget is that the cougar ain’t encroaching on their space, they are encroaching on his. And when the big guy turns nasty, he is only doing what he is programmed to do. He’s a carnivorous predator, that’s his job.

And carnivorous predator is what the poor, sad, and thoroughly lamented tiger at the San Francisco Zoo also happened to be. And for acting like a predator – a cornered and threatened predator – the big boy was ‘executed’. In heaven’s name, why? For acting like a tiger? If we don’t like what tigers do, why in the fuck do we lock them up so they can be gawked at by the public? My condolences to the family of the person killed, but that isn’t what is at issue here.

The animals under most threat on the planet are the big predators. Their numbers are diminishing the fastest. And, one of the reasons their numbers – be they wolves, bears, cougars, tigers, lions or sharks – are in decline is because we moronic humans are ‘scared’ of them. We disregard the fact that we kill far more of them than they ever do of us.

It’s the esthetics, you see. They have big teeth and sometimes cranky dispositions. Usually cranky dispositions because some human does something unspeakably stupid – like getting between a mama Grizzly and her cub. Human gets mauled. Grizzly pays the price. Cub is orphaned. Hey, that’s how it’s supposed to work, ain’t it?

I could make this a big diatribe against zoos in general, but that would be too easy. All I can say is I am saddened by the loss of that big tiger, and I’m even more saddened that such of his ilk should be confined to life in a restrictive peep show.

The world of animals comes to my mind from a thought that struck me once when I was snorkelling in exquisite Muri Lagoon on Rarotonga. I think I am at my most serene when I am snorkelling. I cruised along amongst the coral outcrops and the plethora of vibrantly colored fish and marvelled at how they weren’t shy. Indeed, they seemed to give little of a damn that I was there. I thought, why should they? This is ‘their’ world. I can only encroach on it as a visitor. They have their own society; one of which I can never be a part.

I like that. And I also feel I have no right to impose myself on the society of lions and tigers and bears, oh my.

Amen.

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A couple of weeks ago my delightful ‘Down Under’ blogger friend, Meggie, granted me an award. I was flattered and honoured that if came from her. The award is ‘A Roar for Powerful Words’ and maybe it applies to me sometimes. Anyway, I am honored that she so regards me.

Now, my job is to find some other recipients. As always in these cases, I would like to choose virtually everybody on my blogroll, but I cannot. So, I am going to choose the following as recipients:

Heart in San Francisco: Primarily because her musings, sometimes droll, sometimes powerful, sometimes almost painfully poignant bring me back time and again.

Cs at Another Tangential Thinker: This is a tough and tender person (what a combination) who is intelligent and perceptive and unflinching about dealing with her realities.

Angela at Blog it Like You Mean It: Angela is droll, original, highly intelligent, funny as hell in an often anarchic manner and more. If you haven’t visited her, you should.

Get Off My Lawn: This writer arrives at many conclusions similar to my own, and that can never help but impress me. Just kidding. But seriously, he offers an always thought-provoking and highly eclectic blog, which is what it’s all about.

I could suggest many more but I think I will limit it to this aforementioned group.

Labels:

12 Comments:

Blogger Casdok said...

Congratulations on your award!
I so echo your thoughts on Tigers. I also know what its like to feel as though you are in a peep show.

11:24 AM  
Blogger heartinsanfrancisco said...

Ian, thank you. I am unbelievably flattered to share this award with you and the other folks you've cited.

I am also terribly saddened by the murder of the tiger at the zoo, and by the concept of zoos altogether. When are humans going to realize that it is morally and ethically wrong to imprison wild animals for the titillation of our species?

I also did a post sometime ago about the killing of mountain lions in California. My point was exactly the same as yours: we are encroaching on their territory, not the other way around.

Until we lose our arrogant conviction that we are the only species that matters, such despicable killings of innocent animals will not stop.

1:01 PM  
Blogger Tanya Brown said...

I'm pretty sick over Tatiana's death. As usual, when humans are stupid or cruel, the animal ends up paying.

I do feel for the parents whose son was killed. However, just once I would like to hear parents say "He was our pride and joy and we're engulfed by grief. However, he never did have much sense. Teasing a tiger is just plain dumb." Instead, they and probably the other two young men involved will "lawyer up" and sue the heck out of the zoo.

So stupid. So unnecessary. If the tiger had lived in more humane circumstances, which coincidentally would have kept it away from young fools who thought that tormenting a caged animal is manly and brave, everyone would be alive and well today.

2:42 PM  
Blogger kimber said...

I love your blog's label. Made me laugh.

This rings of a local news story: A couple of women took their children up into the woods to go sledding, and oh mercy! were "stalked" by two wolves. *sigh* These were two wolves that hadn't eaten a decent meal since autumn; if people insist in tromping through an animal's territory, looking for all the world like a scrumptous dinner, what else do we expect? If I haven't eaten in a while, and a piece of toast comes walking through my living room, chances are good that I'm going to pounce on it.

4:43 PM  
Blogger CS said...

We are so arrogant. I hear people around here griping about coyotes. But a) they are just being coyotes when they go after a chicken or the like and 2) if we hadn't slaughtered all the wolves and mountain lions, we would not have had so many coyotoes moving into their abandonned niche. We mess with the big predators at our own peril.

But hey, thanks! I really appreciate the award. Don't see many big cats quite that color. And congratulations on yours. I know, and love, all but one of the other bloggers you picked, so I'm off to check the one I don't know.

5:57 PM  
Blogger meggie said...

My sentiments exactly Ian.
You certianly deserve any & every award you get!

6:28 PM  
Blogger Janice Thomson said...

I wrote an editorial on this years ago - I was so haunted by the pacing of all the animals. I also wrote this short poem last year:

I Am Lion

With golden hair and powerful shoulders
I nervously pace as my sad vacant eyes
remember the vast plains
of the Serengeti.
No more sleeping under the Acacia,
no more romping by the Commiphora,
no more chasing flighty gazelle,
no more drinking at the water hole's edge.
I am Lion and I am caged,
my freedom lost to a city zoo.


Sorry for taking up so much space but this is a subject close to the heart.
Thanks for reminding us again Ian that it is not the animals encroaching on our territory but rather us encroaching on theirs.

7:45 PM  
Blogger Voyager said...

Well deserved award Ian.
I would like to see most zoos razed. There are of course some good things being done in some, like breding programs to introduce species back into the wild. It's great for marmots, but not big cats. They don't belong there.
V.

9:52 PM  
Blogger jmb said...

Congratulations on your award. I think you deserve lots of awards, well maybe not a techie one.
I'll have to check out some of your awardees.

Ah, the tiger. I have to say that I love zoos and go to every one in every city I visit. I am fascinated by the animals, but deep down I know that it is wrong for the animals to be kept that way. Although some species are saved by zoo breeding. It's a dilemma.

10:37 PM  
Blogger geewits said...

The tiger death at the zoo was sad, but the one that happened here was tragic. In case you missed the story a dead Bengal tiger was found dumped in Dallas on Christmas morning. It had been declawed, was collared and was shot 5 times. It's all here:

http://cbs5.com/watercooler/tiger.dead.dallas.2.619137.html

Apparently someone had kept it as an illegal pet and grew tired of it! At least at the zoo they are treated with respect by professionals. My husband believes the culprit was probably a drug dealer and he's probably right.

11:51 PM  
Blogger Synchronicity said...

i was so saddened as well. i am not sure what the answer is.

i really like it that you tell us about other blogs to try...i will go visiting now.

9:48 AM  
Blogger Janice Thomson said...

I forgot to congratulate you my friend on your well-deserved award!

3:47 PM  

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