Your Backyard Is Their Front Yard.

Brad Wright, former NBA star, saved a coyote from his pool which was drowning. As he said " There's no pain in being humane".


Myself living on several acres out in the country, I have this same attitude. I have to get along with the wildlife that is all around me and hate when hunting season and the guns roll out, but I know it's a thinning of the habitat and is a necessary thing.

But, one thing which bothers me is neighbors with the saying " A good snake is a dead snake" I don't happen to agree with this sentiment. I have held a King snake, they are soft and lightly constricting. I've had a Rat snake enter my home only a few months ago 6ft long, covering the back of my bathroom sink attaching itself to the wall, then climbed the towel rack and had the towel on his head, but never once did it coil up and try to defend itself. It was not afraid of me nor I it. So, I totally disagree with the adage "A good snake is a dead snake".

If you're unsure, take two steps back and call in the local Wildlife authorities if inside. Outside, walk away. Leave it be.

Pics of King snake, eating a rattle snake, they also think cottonmouths are yummy as well as copperheads which are you guessed it "very poisonous" in Mississippi.


Pic of a Rat snake.


Our backyard is their front yard. Let's share, you'll find there's room for us all.

reply to post by DaphneApollo


I will admit, I hunt and fish, I have no problems killing and animal for food. However with this being said, I do have great respect for animals and I have zero and I mean ZERO tolerance for people maiming and hurting animals for fun or hunting just for a rack or skin. I do try to help out wildlife when I can, even if that means avoid things likes ahem snakes.. and respect those who do (with in reason i.e. not some of these crazy, hypocritical eco freak groups). I really cannot say how much disdain I have towards people that do not respect wildlife (or pets for that matter). But I like the video nice find s&f.

Grim

If a coyote were drowning in my pool I would not hesitate to save it. It is the right thing to do. King snakes around here are a great help with the water moccasins

That said, If that same coyote the next day decided to attack my chickens or pets I would not hesitate to put it down.

edit to add

last summer a snake swallowed an egg and got himself stuck in the chicken wire haha, had to cut the poor thing out.

reply to post by DaphneApollo


Our back yard is their front yard. Amen.

It is for this reason that I hate to see people thoughtlessly whack a spider with a shoe, or crush it with tissue. Spiders are perfectly adapted killing machines, the bane of flies, wasps, bees, moths, and other irritating insect interlopers to a persons domain. They have evolved over millions of years to be as well adapted to their environs, and their preferred prey, as they are. They are also beautiful, amazing, and fascinating creatures.

Rather than bashing at them with various implements, I prefer to leave them be, and put their awesome webs wherever they will. I am comfortable around them. My sister and my mother however, are not so magnanimous toward them, and either kill the poor buggers, or have me come and remove them from the home. I would rather be asked to move a spider, than have them kill it out of reasonless fear, especially since so few of our native spiders are in any way dangerous to human health.

There is another reason why I always like to look after the animals which are a part of daily life here on this planet, when ever I get the opportunity. I believe in God, and say what you will about Genesis and the time line for the creation of the universe (which I believe to be open to various interpretations) one thing I recall clearly from that segment of the Bible, is that God made human kind stewards of the planet, that he intended for us to live in harmony with our natural surroundings. I am a God fearing man, and I take that stewardship as seriously as possible, bearing in mind these modern times we live in. When I see a pigeon flapping a useless wing, I go into a business premises, and ask for a spare packing box, and then I take that box to the injured bird and place the bird inside, carefully, so as not to hurt it. Then I take the creature to a local animal hospital, where they take in all sorts, and leave the injured party in the hands of the professionals.

When I see a fox caught in a fence, or stuck in a bin (that happens more than you would think) I free the animal from what binds it. You have to give respect to these animals, because many of them have been in the British Isles much longer than mankind ever has, and that goes double for the insects and arachnid population. I imagine the same could be said for many of the states in America, in that they have had wildlife for much longer than they have had human habitation. At the end of the day, it does not matter whether you live in the city, in the suburbs, in the mountains or the plains, on a little spit of land on its own, or a vast continent, the animals were, largely speaking, here before us (with notable exceptions), and it is the responsible thing to do to ensure that the human race has a minimal negative impact on the animal kingdom, no matter where we may roam and settle on this gorgeous planet of ours.

I must admit i don't like the hunting season here either. I think there is nothing more beautiful on a sunny morning than the pheasant, Which is bread and shot for fun..I also live in the country area and the wildlife is wonderful. Rare birds galore as well as foxes, Badgers etc.. They deserve there space just as we deserve ours. Agreed 100 percent DA

Nicely said. We bought our last house because of the animals we met there. When we first went to see it there was a bat roosting in one of the windows and a green snake in the bushes out front. So far so good I thought. When we come back to do the closing there is a huge snapping turtle laying eggs on the side of the house where a tree had been taken out and left the dirt really soft and easy to dig. That was the clincher for me. Having a creek flow through the back yard was in my mind, next to heaven.

We ended up living in that house for 7 years which was the longest I had ever stayed in one home. We raised some orphaned birds , had a routine of feeding peanuts to titmice, bluejays and chickadees where eventually they learned to trust us and take them from our hand.

Down at the creek we had beaver, deer, muskrat, otters, raccoons and even had a kingfisher dig a nest in the creek bank. Our property backed up to a toll highway on the other side of the creek and their plans for expansion drastically altered the flow of water coming through. I documented all the changes and took measurements of water flow to help bolster my case. After some argument with highway engineers and city planners we did manage to have them change the location of the new toll booths as well as building a larger tunnel beneath the road to allow for water runoff.

As providence would have it those changes saved several homes (including ours!) when hurricane Gaston dropped 14" of water in less than 12 hours on us. I have to admit it was very satisfying to later tell the engineers "I told you so".

Another thing I witnessed while living there was my neighbor across the street had a perfect, green lawn cared for by some lawn company. One night I saw a squirrel writhing on the ground who died a few hours later. Turns out he had his lawn sprayed with chemicals earlier that day. The applications of fertilizers and herbicides in lawn treatments are a toxic stew that ends up draining into our waterways. I am amazed at how much wildlife can still live in our urban creeks and rivers but there is a limit to how much pollution they can take before they too disappear.

Our back yards are their front yards and they are our neighbors. We should treat them as such or better yet as we would family. What we do to our property affects their lives in untold ways. Dead trees are a bonanza of opportunities for nesting birds and small mammals. Don't cut them down for aesthetic reasons if they endanger nothing. Let most of your yard go to natural plants and don't put down fertilizers and herbicides. There's no need to water your yard either. Nature does just fine when left to it's own devices.

reply to post by Grimmley


reply to post by overratedpatriotism

Grimmley,
I understand killing an animal for food, I have a hunter in my family, but he would help an animal just as you've said, and doesn't like people who hurt for "fun" can't stand that.

overratedpatriotism,
I also understand your position. If they are attacking your child or animals, you must defend them.

reply to post by TrueBrit


I liked your post a lot. I too pick spiders up and put them outside, with a towel over them, so they don't bite me. Can't kill them. You seem a kindly person towards our earthly animal kingdom, we are here to look after them. Your Biblical stance is correct imo.

reply to post by TheDoctor46


Hey Doc, Pheasant bred and shot for fun. Horrible. Fox hunting also I never understood over there. Not picking on Brits, you guys are great.

You live in a magnificent place, you are soooo lucky. We share this world with great wonders/creations all around us.

reply to post by Asktheanimals

Our back yards are their front yards and they are our neighbors. We should treat them as such or better yet as we would family. What we do to our property affects their lives in untold ways. Dead trees are a bonanza of opportunities for nesting birds and small mammals. Don't cut them down for aesthetic reasons if they endanger nothing. Let most of your yard go to natural plants and don't put down fertilizers and herbicides. There's no need to water your yard either. Nature does just fine when left to it's own devices.

Thanks for your story. My property has gone all natural. I don't put chemicals down they end up in my pond at the back of the property where the deer herds drink and move through safely at least from hunters for a time. They are our neighbors.

Lots of information for us all to think about with your story there. Thank you.

reply to post by DaphneApollo


Hi Daphne. Yes its the money brigade who do the fox hunting. In fact the law against fox hunting is being talked about at the moment as hunting with packs of dogs is banned now. Only farmers (Misrable bazterds!) are allowed to flush out foxes with 2 dogs. But David Cameron (posh boy) is saying that they should be allowed to use packs of dogs again as its quicker! Its all sad im afraid.

reply to post by TheDoctor46


That is so sad Doc. I really hate that.

I always wondered why/what they are hunting them for? Is it the game, the fur, I know it must not be to eat them. Poor creatures, run and mauled to death.

reply to post by DaphneApollo


Yes it is. A real shame indeed. They are just hunted for sport purposes by the rich!. You think in this day and age the would think of something better to do with there time!

TheDoctor46
reply to post by DaphneApollo

 

Yes it is. A real shame indeed. They are just hunted for sport purposes by the rich!. You think in this day and age the would think of something better to do with there time!

The rich = cruel most times. Poor creatures. Here they trap them around me. I don't know which is worse. I hate it. Doc, that is beyond sad and disgusting..

I'm So glad to hear you don't automatically kill snakes. It's the strangest thing to me that people will kill all snakes with such glee, no matter whether it's poisonous or not. They are an integral and valueable part of the food chain. Our property in AZ is very remote and we have seen all manner of wildlife on our property.
The most troublesome are the ground squirrels. They make a mess.
When I see a snake I cheer him on and try to point him toward the squirrel nest.

However when we step outside and find rattle snakes curled up on our deck....well, Mrs. tanda makes hatbands.

We also get lots of rabbits, LOTS of rabbits. It got out of control so we started eating one a week until we started seeing less of them.

These photos were taken through my windows from inside the house.

reply to post by tanda7

The most troublesome are the ground squirrels. They make a mess. When I see a snake I cheer him on and try to point him toward the squirrel nest. However when we step outside and find rattle snakes curled up on our deck....well, Mrs. tanda makes hatbands.

Hey T&A , That made my night, that was funny. Squirrels are a menace. I had a blackbird/crow just bit(*&&* on a tree limb outside my bedroom window one day and I thought " What the hell are you griping about " then I remembered the bluebird nest on a pecan tree outside my kitchen back door. He was telling on the squirrel.

I ran outside and sure nuff, the squirrel had smashed all eggs in the nest. Birds tell on them, no matter the species.

Those pictures are beautiful. Almost looks like Africa plains. Arizona looks to be wide open spaces. Are you wearing a rattler hat band there or making one? I don't blame you. When they cozy up close to your home, there's a line. They got to be further away from me, that's why we shouldn't kill the good snakes they keep the poisonous ones away.

I was trying to find a pic of my back property to show here, and the woods around me, but it won't load. Boo hoo. Sorry. I wanted it to work.

reply to post by DaphneApollo

Making one. The pretty part is facing down for the curing process. What you see here is the "gut side"We keep the rabbit pelts too! We made some throw pillows.

I've read some really crazy research papers about bird vocabulary. Apparently blackbirds are understood by other birds, like they are multilingual and they can describe things to other birds including details such as colors of clothing on a person or describing hats being worn by the researchers. Crazy stuff.

reply to post by tanda7


Gosh, I'm scared of yawl.... Rattlers and Rabbits make good stew I've heard tell. Don't waste anything. If we kill it, we all should use it. It's only fair. I've never eaten either one of these by the way. Nor killed anything ( hunting ) but, under certain circumstances, it becomes necessary.

That's interesting about the birds. I'm learning alot living out in the wilderness everyday. There's nothing like it . I love it.

reply to post by DaphneApollo


LOL aye.. I just reread my post, I was in a hurry at work..lol I MEANT to say I hunt and fish but yes I would help out a wild animal if it needed it. I have a deep love of nature and believe there is a balance to things. Example just because I hunt does not mean I am going to go out of my way to be cruel to an animal. I give the guy kudos for saving that coyote....

Grim

reply to post by DaphneApollo


Rattler tastes like whatever you use to cook it in i.e. fried or what have you, and it has the consistency of chicken.. lol

Grim