Be an activist, but be informed
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
A short time ago during the morning commute, I was surprised to see a bushy-tailed wood rat in the intersection of Highway 93 and 35. Usually called a “packrat”, this 15-inch animal was slick, silvery-brown with enormous ears and of course, a bushy tail. Now, normally packrats are on the “to-do” list under the category of “kill/remove” since they will wreak havoc in most any kind of enclosed structure that humans call their own.
This rat (whom I dubbed Sylvester) had apparently been a stowaway in a vehicle that he had the misfortune of being in when it drove away from Sylvester’s former home. At the intersection it either fell or jumped off the truck and was running around in circles when I spotted him. I wheeled back around and found the terrified animal huddled against the traffic light pole. Its coloration matched the pole surprisingly well.
For some reason, I determined that I needed to do something for this poor creature that had literally just jumped out of the proverbial frying pan into an alien human urban setting. After almost capturing it with a blanket (much to the amusement of people waiting for the light), I ended up setting a live trap in a large clump of yellow-flowered bushes that night. I had contacted my friends at Tribal Fish and Game but I am sure they were more concerned with bears in garbage then a packrat running down the road by Safeway. I also contacted the Sheriff’s office in case anyone was concerned about unusual activity in the middle of the night at that intersection. I assured them that drones and black helicopters wouldn’t be needed – it was just me trying to capture a rodent. My hope was to quickly catch Sylvester and take him to a moist densely vegetated piece of packrat “heaven” up in the Missions far from any human habitation. Transplanting an animal always has its risks, but was clearly better than staying in this present urban hell.
I missed Sylvester by a hair on the first trapping attempt because the live trap was too big. So I purchased a smaller one and tried again. This time I caught a human … sort of! I found that the trap door had been closed, the trap was moved and a note from a “Todd Anderson” was placed in the handle. The note stated “I didn’t know why this is here or who put it here but I don’t believe in animal captivism. I hope I never see this again.” I reset the trap, checked it early the next morning and determined that Sylvester had vacated the premises. With all that human traffic in those bushes, who would have blamed him?
This gave me a chance to ponder Todd. He is obviously an intelligent, compassionate person who has a decent command of the English language accompanied by better than average penmanship and average spelling abilities (is “captivism” a word?). He didn’t use any profanity, which in today’s world is remarkable and was appreciated. Todd is very observant because he either noticed me lurking in the bushes and was curious enough to check things out or he actually saw the trap despite its hidden location. He rises to the occasion for a cause and was courageous enough to sign the note with his name, thus taking responsibility for his actions. And he is idealistic.
At one time animals didn’t have to be in cages, on leashes or rescued from the impacts of an urban environment because the world was perfect, or “ideal.” The fallen world we live in today, though still stunningly beautiful, is far from ideal or perfect. Yet, somewhere in our sub-conscious we remember the “ideal.” But, when we try to force the “ideals” of a perfect place upon our present imperfect circumstances, it doesn’t work most of the time (just look at Congress) because reality sets in. We can try to live up to our “ideals” for ourselves, but that is usually as far as it goes.
So Todd, in his idealism, sprang the live trap and in his mind, saved Sylvester. But in reality, Sylvester’s chances of getting run over, mangled by a dog or having his back broken by a rat snap trap are now greatly increased. Todd assumed the worst when he saw the trap, perhaps not realizing that people who use live traps are often trying hard not to hurt the animal, but simply move it to another location, often for the benefit of the animal.
So in conclusion, I would like to tell Todd that if he is serious about any kind of activism, then he needs to study his issue and the people and regulations involved in that issue and try to differentiate between the idealistic and realistic paths of action. We need people who are concerned about and willing to act (in an informed way) on their concerns. I would also like to give the people living/working around the 93/35 intersection a heads-up that Sylvester could be heading for your attic, basement or shed. If you hear rustling or find a packrat mess, I would encourage you to use a live trap to try to remove the perpetrator. Contact a CSKT Biologist or myself at the Mission Valley Christian Academy for advice on what to do next.
