A German philosopher and central figure of modern philosophy once said, “He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” That man was Immanuel Kant.
He argued that the human mind creates the structure of human experience and that reason is the source of morality. His views on people dealing with animals is something that has also endured over 100 years. Why? Because I think it is true and I know many others do as well.
A pet, just like a child, depends on you for everything. A pet fish needs to be fed and its bowl cleaned or else it will die. Other animals might scavenge and survive if left on their own, but how you treat an animal can tell a lot about a person. I don’t really like cats, for the most part, there’s some lovely cats out there, but I’m more of a dog person. However, I don’t wish any cat is sent outside in the -40 degree weather we have and kicked off porch steps, but I’ve seen it done. That lucky cat was taken in by someone with compassion and now it enjoys staying in a house and receiving regular meals… it’s gone outside once in three years and only because it wanted to be near its people who were working on a small deck area outside the glass window the cat usually looks out.
When I was in grade 11, I had a dog that I loved. She was a sweetheart. She loved to cuddle and was quite the funny character. She got along with humans and our cats, but otherwise she was very protective of the yard, no other animals were allowed in. This included coyotes, which she would be the victor of any scuffle… until one day my family got back from a volleyball tournament, Provincials in Prince Albert, I still remember getting home and being devastated that she was missing. See a couple weeks before my mom had heard a dog fight outside and opened the door to the house, my dog came running in as fast as she could, but about five coyotes were out there.
I don’t know what happened to her, but I strongly suspect the coyotes finally won the fight. We looked for her but couldn’t find her anywhere. Was I mad at the coyotes? Yes. But, if I had come across an injured baby coyote the next year would I have wanted to save it? Yes.
A few years ago I fell in love with a feather painting of Cheryl Winkler’s from the Moose Mountain R n R, I thought the little fellow was a fox, but when I began talking to Cheryl I discovered that Rusty – his name, an animal she had rehabilitated – was in fact a coyote. She asked me if I still wanted the painting because some people just can’t love a coyote.
I did think about it for a moment, but coyotes are a part of nature. They’re part of Saskatchewan and the stories I’ve heard of Coyote from First Nations are wonderful stories typically portraying him as a trickster… which, Rusty had tricked me, I had thought he was a fox initially and I smiled. I bought the painting.
Personally, I think what Cheryl does is a wonderful thing. Nature is beautiful and all animals deserve a chance to live, especially when it’s because of humans a lot of them are injured. She has a huge heart. Can animals be pests? Yes. But there are other steps you can take to remove them from your yard than killing them. She not only rehabilitates injured animals, but she has a wealth of knowledge for how to live in harmony with nature.
All animals have value, especially native species. No, I’m not a vegan. I’m thankful to those animals which provide me sustenance. But, if they don’t have to die, then let them live.
For me, I absolutely hate spiders, there’s something about them that I just don’t like. But, that doesn’t mean I go around killing every single spider I see. In fact I marvel at the work that they put into their webs and there’s something beautiful about a web covered in morning dew. Will I ever like spiders, not a chance, but I can appreciate them in my own funny way.
So, appreciate nature. You might not like coyotes for a variety of reasons, but they are a part of our world as are raccoons, skunks, badgers, eagles, deer, antelope, etc…
