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Highlands Today

Live And Let Live

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Hank Kowalski

Published: February 8, 2008

All creatures, big and small share the world around us, trying to live in harmony with each other. Man, being the dominant "creature," at times takes liberty to kill without provocation, thus exerting his power over nature, while exhibiting the worst in man.

An example of this dominance was reported recently in this newspaper, when two men used a combination of .22 caliber and .45 caliber guns to kill a rattlesnake found in a backyard. The snake, minding its own business, was probably seeking the warmth of the sun in order to reach "operating temperature."

When approached and threatened by the humans, the snake assumed a defensive posture as it coiled and moved its head from side to side; saying in effect, "leave me alone, go away, I do not want to harm you." Unfortunately for the snake, the humans did not wish to admire this creature for its beauty and place in ecology, but wished to destroy this perceived threat to "children, dogs and cats that might be in the area."

Then, bang, bang, bang, a life was taken, and a human was able to lift a dead snake in victory. The question now must be asked, "Is there a law, or ordinance, that prohibits the discharging of firearms in a residential area? If there were dogs unleashed on the property? If there was a free-roaming cat there (cats kill more birds than any one will believe). Any children in that backyard were in more danger from flying bullets, rather than that snake minding its own business of helping to keep the rat population down.

There is a taxpayer supported agency, Animal Control, that will gladly respond to any threat to humans from wildlife, perceived or otherwise. Instead of taking the law into their hands, the two "heroic" figures should now be interviewed by the sheriff.

Hank Kowalski
Lake Placid

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