The Oct. 16 issue of The Columbian carried a brief article “26 more elephants killed in Zimbabwe.” Every time I read about elephant poaching, I become distressed. Is this going to continue until there are no more elephants left in the wild? Considering that we have lost half the world’s wildlife population since the 1970s, it’s hard to believe there are any humans who really care. I have sadly come to the conclusion that this Earth is of the people, by the people and for the people.
I would be remiss if I fail to mention that, yes, there are people who care. But it seems to me in our very egocentric human minds, we take great pains to make sure every human is safe and allow wildlife to slide. The scales are tipped in favor of humans.
And think about this: every single poacher out there had a mother who failed to teach him the value and reverence we ought to have for wildlife.
On a smaller scale, I once found a wounded seagull at our local Shillapoo Wildlife Refuge. I took the bird to Audubon in Portland, hoping they could fix it. Alas, the bird died. They X-rayed the bird and it was determined to be full of lead shot. Poaching is not limited to overseas. We also have our own local poachers who don’t give a hoot about wildlife.
