Dear HCN,
“Bulldozers Roll in
Tucson” described the tragedy one can expect when wildlife gets in
the way of children – and their parents. I learned this lesson at a
middle school built in a piûon-juniper forest near Cedar City,
Utah. The spring after the school opened, roaming students spotted
a nearby great horned owl nest. After scaring the parents off, they
snatched all three owlets and proceeded to torture them. One baby
was dead by the time an adult saved a second would-be victim. The
third owlet was rescued by a lone brave teen amidst the jeers of
his schoolmates.
The traumatized survivors were
turned over to me, the local wildlife rehabber at the time. I
raised them until I located a great horned owl family which
graciously took the waifs in. It was impossible to return them to a
home that had become a death trap for
wildlife.
The school staff scoffed at the idea
that students should be disciplined for thrill-killing. Utah
Division of Wildlife Resources didn’t care to pursue the matter
either. All the authorities involved were soulmates of Esther
Underwood, the mother who crowed about her “pretty” bulldozer’s
victory over “eco-freakos.” When it’s owls versus kids, there’s no
contest.
Lester
Wood
Coleville,
California
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline The bulldozer wins.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
