If you asked a random sample of shoppers at the mall what they think about wildlife, you’d get some weird looks and some off-the-cuff responses.
Some people might say “of course” they love wildlife; after all, they watch “Animal Planet” and “Nature.” Some people might say they hate wildlife and don’t want any in their life. Most folks would just hurry on with their shopping.
Everyone, however, has an opinion of wildlife. These opinions are influenced by a complex of factors. Whether witnessed out the kitchen window or viewed via remote control, wildlife creates impressions, impressions lead to perceptions, and perceptions influence attitudes and attitudes affect behaviors. Throw emotions in the mix and you’ve got a maelstrom of human-wildlife relationships.
Let’s take a look at some wild animals and why some of us love them, some of us hate them, and some would prefer not to think about them at all. Which of the following animals are “good” animals? Which are “bad” animals? Which are neither good nor bad? Grab a pencil and write “G” for good next to the animal’s name, “B” for bad, and “N” for neither or no opinion.
1. White tail deer
2. Smallmouth bass
3. Goldfinch
4. Coyote
5. Ladybug
6. Hawk
7. Spider
8. Turkey vulture
9. Snake
10. Honeybee
Now look at the animals you labeled as “good” animals. What do they have in common? What do the “bad” animals have in common? Which animals elicit no opinion? Are there cases in which you say, “It depends”?
How we view animals
Harvard University’s Stephen Kellert published “Perceptions of Animals in America” after a decade’s worth of research in the 1970s. From extensive surveys of a diverse sampling of Americans, Kellert identified key factors contributing to people’s attitudes toward animals.
Some of these factors are: size; beauty; intelligence; danger to humans; likelihood of causing damage; the animal’s role as predator/carnivore vs. herbivore; how the animal moves; and its economic value to humans. Large animals, Kellert explained, are generally preferred over small animals.
Beauty implies sentience, or the ability to feel and to have emotions. Animals that move gracefully on all fours are preferred over the crawling and slithery critters, and so on.
Take a look at some of the animals in our quiz. How does the whitetail deer fare in your grade book? It’s relatively large – one point in its favor. It’s beautiful, and it’s certainly graceful. Two more pluses. It also has the backing of Walt Disney. This adds up to a darn good animal, right? Until it starts eating your hostas and your impatiens and every last green blade of your expensive landscaping. So is it a good animal or a bad animal?
What about the handsome goldfinch that graces your thistle feeder – only to be nailed by a Cooper’s hawk dive bombing the finch and ripping it apart, limb by limb and feather by feather? The finch and the hawk are both birds; one is an herbivore and one is a carnivore. Is one good and the other bad?
What about the coyote? He’s made quite a media splash lately in the western suburbs, and people are polarizing for and against him. In terms of size, a coyote may reach 40 pounds. (Although I’ve received reader feedback insisting that the Wheaton coyotes are monstrously big 80-pounders.) Regardless of his true weight, the coyote should earn some “good” points, size-wise.
And as for beauty, the coyote’s as handsome as many a domestic dog, especially in his winter coat. He’s very agile, trotting across farm fields, jumping over fences, scrambling under logs, running through backyards. By these standards, the coyote might make it into the “good” category.
What tips the scale, however, is the fact that coyotes habituated to humans in suburbia cause damage to property, namely, people’s pets. There are some isolated cases of coyotes posing a danger to humans as well. So, is coyote a good animal or bad animal?
A mixed blessing
Let’s look at the snake.
Several years ago there was a “blessing of the animals” ceremony at a church in St. Charles. This St. Francis of Assisi affair was packed with people and their companion dogs, cats, bunnies, ferrets, parakeets and the like. I, however, brought my 4-foot long corn snake to receive the divine blessing. After all, Cornelius the corn snake is an animal and he deserves to be blessed, too. Seeking warmth as reptiles do, he wound himself tightly around my arm, every once in a while flexing his muscles as constrictors are wont to do.
With Cornelius thus adorning my arm, I sat down in the only chair available in the crowded room, right up near the priest. Next to me was a well-coiffed, perfumed woman gently petting the bichon frise on her lap. All was well until she glanced over at me, saw Cornelius, and jumped out of her seat. Cornelius then decided he had warmed enough on my arm, so he began to crawl down my chair and inextricably wound himself on the now-vacant chair next to me. Near pandemonium ensued, the sermon was interrupted, and as I coaxed Cornelius from the furniture I got the distinct feeling that he was not going to be blessed that day, or ever. Good animal or bad animal?
‘It depends’ … on what?
This brings up some puzzling questions. Why is it that some people choose to nurture rescue animals from animal shelters yet smash every spider they see? Why do some people find deer hunting abhorrent yet don’t hesitate to eat a steak?
Why do cat owners see no problem letting their felines run free to feast on native birds but are aghast at a coyote eating a small dog?
In most cases, the question of whether an animal is deemed good or bad elicits the response: “It depends.” It depends because there are other important determinants of how we feel about wildlife – notably, culture and historical context.
Compare a modern suburbanite, for example, with a 19th century farmer on the frontier. Compare each of those with a 15th century Plains Indian. In these three disparate cultural situations spanning centuries, it’s a fair assumption that the answers would be strikingly different.
Many pre-European contact American Indians viewed wildlife as gifts to be used, spirits to be revered, and legendary figures to teach lessons. Crow and raven, considered one in the same in legends, are Creator figures, revered for their wisdom, their ability to move between worlds and to carry messages across the divide. Coyote, too, is prominent in the mythology of cultures across North America. His legendary antics serve well in teaching about pride, patience, cunning, and justice. The bison, or buffalo, was the foundation of life for Plains Indians. Food, shelter, and clothing came from bison, and the migration of the bison determined the nomadic ways of the people. Yet the very animal that was revered was also hunted and eaten. Were these animals good, or were they bad?
The pioneer farmer etched out a niche in the midst of the wilderness. He had to know the ways of wildlife in order to survive. His relationship with wildlife was often adversarial. Wolves preyed on his livestock and threatened his occupation. Prairie dog tunnels were a danger to his hoof stock, and crows devoured his crops. Were these good or bad animals?
Our 21st century suburban lifestyle has severed many people from the natural world. For many suburbanites, there is little need to be concerned with animals – and that’s just fine with them. When these people have a chance encounter with skunk under their porch or a raccoon in the attic or a coyote in their yard, the outcome is often unpleasant for everyone involved. Are these wild animals good or bad?
An alternate view
Perhaps there’s another way to look at it. Maybe wildlife is neither good nor bad. Wildlife just is. And it does what it needs to do to survive, as we human animals do what we need to do to survive. Some animals hunt; some animals are hunted. And we are part of the equation.
Man, the intelligent, omnivorous bipedal hominid, happens to be a hunter. Coyote, with specialized teeth and stealthy habits, is also a hunter. Owls, hawks, praying mantises and even tiny shrews are hunters. Deer are among the hunted, as are rodents and rabbits – and small dogs that resemble rabbits.
Thus life is an ongoing push and pull between species, and there is no such thing as “balance of nature.”
Value judgments – who’s a good guy and who’s a bad guy in nature – are strictly human constructs. The coyote is not making a value judgment while eating lunch. He’s just eating lunch. The whitetail deer is not making a value judgment while chowing down on your shrubbery. She’s just browsing. Turkey vultures are not making a value judgment while dining on roadkill. They’re just snacking.
“All God’s children got a place in the choir,” or so the song goes. Sometimes the choir gets a little crowded and harmony turns to cacophony. So a few critters gotta go. A few critters stay. And the choir goes on, with growling voices and warbling voices, raspy songs and melodic songs, buzzing sounds and whistling sounds, in the ever changing symphony of life.
• Valerie Blaine is a naturalist with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. You can reach her at [email protected]
Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.
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