I actually saw two coyotes on Burnaby mountain last week and they were sooooooo cute. They looked really scared of the cars and the road though, which was sad.
Things like this make me so sad.
What gives us the right to kill a coyote any more than to kill another human being? Why are human lives considered the most valuable? Why can't we just be equal? If you were offered $20 to bring in the paws of neighbourhood cats, hamsters or even the hands of children it would be viewed as barbaric, disgusting and totally inhumane, but a coyote? Who cares, right? The worst part about this article is the main reason for the bounty wasn't even for coyotes attacking humans but attacking "our" livestock. It's a double whammy of abusing animals. The only reason the ranchers were pissed is because there are less profits, less cattle, whatever, not because they are upset that their cows were dying. Who cares if they die, what matters is money. Since when did money become more valuable than a life?
Every day on the news it's considered a tragedy when a soldier or a family dies, and that is just one or two beings. Hurricane Katrina took less than 2000 lives and we are still discussing it five years later. That was a HUGE catastrophe, HUGE!!! But the death of billions of animals (and in this case 71k coyotes) pale in comparison to that or any other human death. 2000 is a huge number of deaths, but 71,000 is incomprehensible. You bet if 71,000 people were murdered for cash rewards there would be riots and chaos...but when it's a "lesser being" or a "nuisance" people seem to ignore the fact that they deserve life just as much as you or I. I know you are probably thinking that I should respect and value human life more than others, and most people get pissed when you even remotely suggest that a life of an animal is of equal value to a human life. I think that we are all on this planet to live and love and we all deserve the equal chance and respect to do so.
Most of what I just typed is a big ramble, not to mention it's been an extremely long week (I know it's on Wednesday haha) and I'm tired. I apologize for my lack of sense.
I just wish there wasn't a need to view animals as lesser beings, and that we just accepted and all believed that they are equal and deserving of our love and respect.
I have to go finish reading Heidegger now. Wish me luck! It's tough stuff.
The thing you said about "our" livestock as the reason for why the coyotes are being culled in the first place is so good, it's so true. It's not like they attacked anybody, they just pick off livestock that were being raised for slaughter anyhow. A coyote killing a cow is way more natural a death than those within the slaughterhouses anyway, and at least the coyote benefits on it. Also coyotes don't select the healthy animals, they'd go after the sick/old/young. And we know what happens to sick and old cows in those types of places anyway. Blah. So sad. You know how much I love coyotes.
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