https://animalpetitions.org/educational-series-help-stop-wild-animal-tragedies-this-summer/

Educational Series: Help Stop Wild Animal Tragedies This Summer

By Nick Engelfried

It’s the time of year when families across the nation get ready to participate in one of our country’s best summertime traditions: the summer vacation. Over the next few months thousands of people will take to the road to visit national and state parks, national forests, and other recreational lands. For animal and nature lovers a summer vacation can be an amazing opportunity to see wildlife and beautiful places. However, there are rules you should follow to make sure you aren’t having a negative impact on the animals you interact with.

Keep your distance from wild animals

Every summer park rangers and other authorities have to deal with tourists who get too close to wildlife, causing a dangerous situation for both the animal and themselves. Especially in today’s age of selfies, it can be tempting to get as near as possible to an animal in order to get that perfect photo for sharing with your friends on social media. This is rarely a good idea and is especially ill-advised when you are dealing with a dangerous animal like a bear, bison, or other large creature. While it’s very rare for any of these species to attack a human unprovoked, they will fight back if they feel threatened by your presence–and they have no way of knowing your intentions are good. Even an animal as seemingly harmless as a deer can inflict serious harm with its hooves or antlers if it feels the need for self-defence.

To take just one relevant example of an animal encounter gone awry, on June 7th, 2018 a woman in Yellowstone was gored by a charging bison when she and other tourists approached within fifteen feet of a herd. Feeling itself to be under threat, one of the animals charged. Fortunately the tourist in question only sustained a hip injury and was able to recover; the consequences could have been much worse. After the incident Yellowstone Park authorities released the following statement: “Animals in Yellowstone are wild and unpredictable, no matter how calm they appear to be. Give animals space when they’re near trails, boardwalks, parking lots, or in developed areas. Always stay at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves, and at least 25 yards (23 m) away from all other animals, including bison and elk.”

Another incident, also involving Yellowstone bison, had more harmful consequences for the animal involved. In 2016 a pair of tourists found a baby bison they believed was close to freezing to death, loaded it in their car, and drove it to a ranger station. While it’s not clear what the actual condition of the animal was when they found it, what is certain is this human interference only made the situation worse. Rangers later had to euthanize the calf because its mother detected a human scent or other signs of people on it, and would not accept it when they tried to return the calf to her.

This underscores an important point: anytime you find a young wild animal, even if you think it has been abandoned or is otherwise suffering, the best course of action is always to leave it alone. If you truly believe an animal in a park needs help you can alert a ranger, but the reality is letting nature take its course will almost certainly be best. Baby animals may appear to be abandoned when in fact their mother is simply looking for food close by. It’s also a fact of the natural world that some wild animals suffer and die from natural causes. In such cases, human interference will just cause more stress and fear for the animal involved.

Store your food properly

Another way you can protect animals from harmful human interference is to properly store your food–as well as any food waste–so as to keep it safe from wildlife. Bears, rodents, and some birds love to feast on people food when they get the chance, but it isn’t good for them and can cause them to develop dangerous habits. Bears who repeatedly encounter human food will learn to seek it out in the future, endangering people and ultimately themselves. Bears who form a habit of approaching tourists for food often end up being euthanized by authorities to protect people from coming to harm.

If you are camping or traveling in bear country, all food and food waste must be stored so bears cannot get at it. If you’re car camping putting all your food in the car at night and whenever your camp is unattended is a good solution. If you backpack or camp in more remote areas, follow food storage guidelines agencies like the Park Service and Forest Service have put in place. Usually this means hanging your food in a tree at night, or storing it in a bear-proof canister specially designed for the purpose. Remember, bears are strong and can easily break open most storage containers.

While bears present the biggest hazard to humans, other animals suffer too when people aren’t careful with their food. Rodents and raccoons can also become overly dependent on human food. One species of bird common in forested mountains–the gray jay–is even known by the nickname “camp robber” because they are so fond of swooping in to snatch unattended leftovers. While you may be tempted to feed wild birds, keep in mind our food is unlikely to be healthy for them. It’s far better for wild animals to subsist only on their natural, wild diets.

Be a good environmental steward

One of the most frequently overlooked ways tourists affect wildlife is the manner in which we treat their habitat. Animals like bears, wolves, bison, and countless smaller species are found in national parks and forests precisely because they don’t do well in areas highly impacted by people. Respect animal habitat by staying on designated trails and pitching your tent in established campsites. When planning a trip to a park, make sure to research the protocols for protecting the landscape park officials have put in place, and always follow them carefully.

Finally, consider the impact your travel itself has on wildlife and their habitat. Every summer demand for gasoline goes up as people drive more–and the carbon emissions from burning all that gas add to climate change. Fortunately, there are many ways to minimize the carbon footprint of your travel. Use a fuel efficient vehicle, make sure your tires are properly inflated, and don’t drive more than you really need to. When you’re at a park, getting out of your car and exploring on foot reduces your impact while providing a much more authentic experience of the place you are visiting.

By keeping a safe distance from wild animals, storing your food properly, and minimizing the environmental footprint of your travel, you can have a memorable summer vacation that brings you into contact with nature without jeopardizing the wildlife who live there. That should be a win-win for any animal lover.

As you will know, we have posted on this site several times about the Beyer-Monsanto bee killing attitude they have with their products.

So for something different, I want to give you a quick general insight into our little friend who is so essential for food pollination and the wellbeing of the planet.

Other than humans; the Bee has the most sophisticated form of communication. Honeybees tell each other the quality, distance and precise location of a food source by a series of complex sequence of movements and vibrations called the ‘waggle dance’. Each ‘waggle’ represents about 150 feet from its hive. This discovery was made in 1945 by Karl von Frisch; who went on to be awarded the Nobel prize for his study of animal behaviour.

Bees are able to see in the ultraviolet range; which makes them more attracted to some kinds of flowers than others. They have a sense of time, and can even recognise the ‘human face’; which is pretty remarkable for a little creature who has a brain about the size of a pinhead ! In tests, bees have been rewarded with nectar when shown some familiar faces, and not when shown others. The ‘human faces’ tested, were actually different kinds of flowers; not pictures of human beings.

Bees don’t do smalltalk like us; instead they only really concentrate their communications on two subjects – food, and where the next hive should be established. Bees were considered sacred by the Greeks, Babylonians and Egyptians; the hive representing a well ordered society which is also full of drama.

A new Queen, will make her ‘nuptial flight’ after murdering all her sisters; and mate with around 15 drones in mid air. All of the drones then die; with their penises exploding (ouch), leaving the end inside of her. The Queen the returns with enough sperm inside of her to establish / stock an entire colony of her own. She can lay up to around 1,500 eggs per day; during her lifetime which lasts about 3 years. On odd occasions; chemical balances wobble and female worker bees may start to lay as well. Very quickly, these ‘rebels’ are destroyed and all the imposter eggs are eaten by fellow workers.

The Bee provides us with honey; the only other secretion from animals that humans take without causing any natural harm or injury (we have to now question the milk process and abuses of cows and calves in its production). Honey is a food that does not spoil; and some over 3,000 years old has been found and tasted by archaeologists from the tombs of ancient Egyptian pharaohs. Honey is ‘hygroscopic’ which means that it can absorb and hold moisture so that any moulds or bacteria that touch it quickly lose their own moisture and then die.

In the USA alone, bees pollinate over $20 Billion worth of crops each years, and so they are vital; to human existence. Every 3^rd mouthful we owe to our little friend the Bee – and without them there would be no agriculture.

So, promote the establishment of bees into your area and provide them with flowers that will enable them to live long and well. Sadly, everyone in this world does not see the humble Bee as an essential tool in our existence. We do, so welcome them and most importantly; encourage and provide for them. They will provide for you in return.

Regards Mark – with help from ‘Animal Ignorance’.