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Post by Wild North on Sept 3, 2009 8:41:32 GMT -5
The Ignorance of Man
For years Silver Lake has attracted tourists of all types. In recent years the tourism in the town has taken off and the most popular reason to travel to the small town seems to be the hunting. In the last two years the local hunters and biologists have noticed a horrific decrease in the number of wild animals. The other thing they have noticed is that the predators have been coming closer to town than ever before. The dump was thought to be the main reason, there was little prey so animals were desperate for food. The town put a fence around the dump, thinking this would deter the animals from coming into town. For a while the idea worked well, then a few months later dogs started going missing in the night. The local kennels reported seeing wolves take dogs. It was around this time that a musher was attacked and sent to the hospital after he and his team were attacked by a pack of wolves just outside town. Nothing like this had ever happened before and the town was shaken. Afraid for their safety people began shooting wild animals that were seen near town and bounties were put on the pelts of those animals. The local naturalists are still fighting to put a stop to the killing of these animals but they are fighting a losing battle.
The Innocence of Animals
When the number of hunters in Silver Lake increased the wolf packs were hit the hardest. Not only was prey scarce but it was harder to take down because the pack numbers were getting smaller. The starving wolves and other predators began feeding of the humans trash. That was until the fence went up, anyone who managed to get past it was shot. The wolves went back to the mountains but the hunting continued and the prey numbers continued to dwindle. The packs began to band together, putting differences aside to save their own existence. They began fighting back, ambushing hunters and mushers who pass through their territories. Some wolves have even resorted to sneaking into town at night and taking dogs as prey. What choice do they have?
Meanwhile the dogs in town fear for their own safety and that of their masters. They have organised and set up patrols around town to protect the humans and themselves. A war has broken out between the wild and the domestic canines. While the humans argue about how to deal with the wildlife problem their canine companions are fighting a war right under their noses.
This Wild North. Whose side are you on?
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