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P-ting, p-ting … the sound echoed over the harbor as I paused mid-stride looking for its source. Mia, the young Portuguese Water Dog, whom I was walking with, stiffened in the middle of the otherwise quiet street, her front right paw raised in rigid anticipation, and her head cocked curiously to the left. “What was that?” I wondered aloud to my furry companion as the strange sound rang out again, only this time much louder and closer to where we were standing. As Mia and I crossed the street, four geese were marching determinedly off the lush patch of grass where they had perched. Their wings were pulled back in preparation of sudden flight, and their calls hurried and frantic. And that’s when I saw him. Or more accurately, that’s when I saw his gun. As the frightened geese fled his lawn, Mia and I watched as the elderly man raised his gun, pointed it seemingly in their direction and without hesitation, squeezed the trigger. P-ting! Launching off the ground,the geese flew across the street squawking grievously as they landed safely in the belly of the harbor. Thankfully none of them had been shot. As it turned out, they were not the old man’s prey. Still standing unnoticed, we watched as he took aim, secured the butt of the gun against his broad shoulder and fired off another round of BBs, right at the metal bird feeder that hung heavily from the long, thin arm of a tall tree that reached its way across his deck. We watched as his now obvious target raced up and around the trunk of the tree before braving the brittle branch in an effort to procure a meal. As his small gray body scaled the branch, which bent beneath even his light weight, the man with the gun waited patiently until the squirrel’s tiny hands reached for a piece of food. P-ting! I gasped loudly causing the elderly man to turn, noticing Mia and me for the first time. Meeting my gaze, his face was a blank mask as he lowered his gun before backing into his house and slamming the door shut. Luckily, the squirrel’s reflexes had been faster than his shooter’s, and he managed to retreat unscathed, scurrying back up the tree through the dense web of branches and leaves. Forcing myself to move from the spot in which I had been rooted, I turned back only once to see the squirrel sitting high up in the tree staring longingly down at the birds who had quickly returned to the bounty the man had set out for them. As Mia and I rounded the corner moving back in the direction of her home I felt a heaviness settle upon me. Why, I wondered, would someone choose to feed one species of animal, yet be so bothered by another sharing it that they would go so far as to try and shoot the other animal? Why love and nurture one, but not the other? The fact is the vast majority of people operate in this discriminatory way on a daily basis; the only difference is that most of them wield forks instead of guns. It is this fact, and many others, that we will ponder and investigate in this new and recurring column, which will appear in our print and/or online issues. We welcome your thoughtful questions and comments, which, if chosen, will also appear in this column. Please send to erica@creationsmagazine.com, and make the decision to start expanding your own circle of compassion to include animals of all species, today.
A long time animal activist and yoga instructor, Erica Settino promotes a vegan diet as part of the practice of Ahimsa (nonviolence), through her yoga-based, nonprofit organization, Karuna For Animals: Compassion In Action Inc. Their mission is to put compassion into action for the animals, your health, and the planet. www.karunaforanimals.com |
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