Red Riding Hood

 One of the things about blogging from the gut, I pretty much put myself right out there, in full view. I say what I think and feel, and...that is what makes me unique. I have lost the fear of what others think of me, I am not out to impress a single soul, I have simply found a way to vent that suits my fancy. Once the publish button is clicked, I have sent my thoughts and feelings out to the world, and they are welcome to read it, and voice their own opinions...hey...debates are good.
  That said, I tend to get some things stuck in my "craw" as they used to say, and, although I may not know all the facts, I develop my own feelings in matters and, become somewhat pigheaded. Hey, my Mom used to say I was stubborn as a mule, and I am afraid that has not changed, perhaps it has even become stronger. I try (a little) to be understanding of opposing opinions. Cripes, don't ever think I concentrate on one side, without balancing the other, but, most of the time, the scales tip all the way, and it is impossible to even twitch a little to change my feelings.
  So....first off, I have to tell you, I am not opposed to hunting. I am not opposed to farming, or ranching. I have to say this, because as I go further, I am afraid my thoughts might make those friends I do have, that work in these professions think I don't give a crap about their livelihoods. I think they are amazing folks, who chose to spend their lives in a world that requires them to work 24-7, a difficult world that I know damn well I could never manage.
  In regards to hunting, hey, know plenty of folks who enjoy this, I personally do NOT enjoy the hunt, I do however, often enjoy the result of the hunt. I don't want animal heads and stuffed weasels placed about my home, but...then again, I certainly am not opposed to a lovely Lynx coat, or a toasty warm buffalo robe. My honey , well, although he has not had the opportunity in years, does enjoy hunting. I have told him, I don't want to go along, because...see, although I will eat game, I could not swallow it, (nor hamburger) down, if I looked in the animals eyes, and then watched it die, and then had it sitting on my plate. I would accept sitting in the truck, hearing the shot, and then heading into the bush to help pack whatever out, and chomp down a plateful at supper. Hey, didn't see it standing and looking, so...That is who I am. I certainly can't help how I feel, that's just the way things are. That is also why I could never farm. I just do not have it in my makeup to raise an animal, or bird, only to have to kill it, and eat it, or even sell it, and have a truck come to haul it away, knowing full well, it is heading off to be slaughtered. This is me!! I understand I am not the same as everyone else, but..I know full well there are plenty others who feel the same as I do.
  So, I respect those who farm, ranch, and hunt. They are ,perhaps stronger than I am. Hunting has allowed mankind to survive, I am just grateful I did not have to rely on my abilities to survive before butchers and packaged meat!
  However, I have started to focus on something the government of B.C. has set in motion, this is, of course, the Wolf kill. Now, most things that tick me off intensely, are usually things government has their thick arms up to their elbows in. Nothing is as capable of mindblowing f*ckups as government.
  Years ago, this region had some pretty decent Caribou herds. [ Excerpt from "Disturbing The Peace" ]
 The downstream interviewees all described devastating impacts on the once large woodland caribou herd that had covered the hills during their migration. The population had been decimated by the dam and had dwindled into small remnant herds that dispersed from the region. How they and other wildlife died was captured in horrifying accounts. As Napolean describes the scene: “The water was full of floating trees, debris and turbidity. Whole trees would suddenly shoot up from the bottom. With the migration route cut off, the caribou and moose tried to swim across but they couldn’t make it to the bank because the log jams and debris on the shores prevented them. They slipped and drowned because they couldn’t get out. The water was full of bloated corpses.”
  Now the caribou have dwindled off. The WAC Bennet Dam did serious damage to the eco system, Mother Nature was body slammed. Then the government decided they were going to relocate Elk out near Dunlevy in the 1990's, because those animals had declined in numbers. Those who lived in this area know more about the sh*t that occurred with that "fix". Wildlife numbers going awry, and the experts need to find a reason,, although no one seemed to give a rats behind about the caribou numbers when the land was flooded with a lake full of water. In fact...because I spent day after day listening to all the comments during the Joint Review Panel regarding Site C, and mixed in to the hours of recordings were questions regarding a herd of Caribou that would be impacted with this next dam. I have to do some more searching to find the blip, but it is out there, with BC Hydro's experts stating the herd is too small, and not really viable, any remaining ones will likely connect up with another larger herd. So......not much concern from that side of government.
  Suddenly it has been decided that Wolves are the culprits. There are too many of them!! They are killing livestock, they are killing the Caribou, they must be removed.
  I understand, Wolves are the Pit Bulls of the wild. They are the mosquitos of summer, the (pardon the pun) Black sheep of the family. They are feared by farmers and ranchers, and rightly so, but, they are products of Mother Nature. They are the top of the chain out in the bush.(well in a pack, not by themselves like a single Grizzly), but even the sound of their howls can send chills up one's back. They ARE the call of the wild, they are feared and they are the killers. But, in truth, man cannot be the single killer in these parts. Yes, right now, our government has set man out to cull the Elk, allowing draws on pregnant females, to try and cut down the herd, that's O.K. too many Elk..of course not sure why they didn't lay the blame for this on some animal running about, but...back to the Caribou. See. I have learned a tiny bit, wondering why wolves have no taste for Elk and a massive appetite for Caribou..it is because they tend to wander about out in the open (Caribou) unlike Elk who normally, except when they are standing in a huge herd eating hay off a farmer's livestock pile, tend to stay in the bush. Also access to the higher feeding ground for the Caribou now have lovely roads leading the animals right to the meat counter, because "man" is accessing these areas during winter on snowmobiles, packing the deep snow, and enabling the wolves, who don't normally like to hike through deep snow, to follow the yellow brick road.
 So, on one hand, our government is not concerned about one caribou herd, because they feel the loss with Site C will be mitigated (somehow), but, on the other hand, they are going to send snipers up in helicopters to shoot wolves. The video aired on CBC regarding the hunt was disgusting, and the idea that we are to accept the solution to the loss of caribou is to kill off a whopping number of wolves, may indeed allow a slight increase, but...once the mega Dam project gets underway...will wolves really matter? Who is the real problem here? Who has been screwing with the conservation of all wild animals? I personally believe the culprits have 2 legs, and not four, and they are on their way to make a total mess of everything,.But again, we have only the two extremes, the pros and the negative Nelly's. The moment the real wolves in sheep clothing admit to their mistakes. perhaps I may gain a tiny flicker of faith in government, until then, I will remain one of the Greenies, one of the tree hugging, wolf loving, flower power ,bleeding heart twits, hated passionately by Red Riding Hood.
  Caribou, Elk, wolves, what is next on the list of screw-ups? Oh yeah..moving onto Farmers, and Ranchers, who will be fewer in number once the Dam goes in. Guess that is the next, great government kill. I will now stop huffing and puffing, because just like the big bad wolf, nothing I do, is going to change the course of government!