To
some of us, Canada geese are the creatures who litter sidewalks with their excrement,
causing pedestrians to hop-scotch forward while cursing the birds. To others, they nest in inappropriate places,
such as near the entrance to a business building surrounded by (inviting) green
lawn.
In
short, the Canada goose is sometimes regarded as the persona non grata of the wild
bird world. Those who know little if
anything good about the birds opt to have them gassed or otherwise disposed of
– as if that were the only way to solve the problem that sometimes exists.
But
it doesn’t have to be that way, as the Animal Protection League of New Jersey
(APLNJ) keeps proving. Through its
Canada Goose Protection Program, APL members talk up and demonstrate humane,
non-lethal ways to coexist with Canada geese and deter them from being in
places where they’re not appropriate or wanted.
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| Nesting Canada goose |
When
that happens, communities have no need to contract with the USDA or other
exterminators, and people’s view of the birds becomes much more accepting.
And
why not, since Canada geese can boast of many sterling qualities, according to
those who know them well: They mate for life. They’re both highly intelligent
and protective, loving parents who teach their children to survive and
co-exist with humans, who could learn from them!
Here’s
an overview of what APLNJ is doing around the state to protect Canada geese by
stopping goose gassing and presenting real alternative actions that make it
possible for people and geese to live together. https://conta.cc/37QQTyO
This
is the season when goose gassing begins, so right now is the time to be aware
of the options for dealing with Canada geese – needless killing or humane,
non-lethal alternatives.
Infamous ‘medicine’
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| Pangolin |
For
how long have we been familiar with the phrase “traditional Chinese medicine” (TCM) then, based on that last word’s assumed credibility, never gave it
another thought? I’ll bet we didn’t know
what those 3 words were all about . . . until we kept seeing them connected with
poaching and killing of animals so their body parts could be used in that
so-called “medicine.”
That’s
right: “TCM” traditionally uses animals for something described this way by
Wikipedia: “An alternative medical practice drawn
from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as “fraught
with pseudoscience“, and the majority of its treatments as
having no logical mechanism of action.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_medicine
For
that, innumerable animals have died and will continue to die?!
The “need” for these animal parts has driven some species closer to extinction and of course has engendered and encouraged poachers (sometimes described as “the most hated creatures in Africa”), who hunt restricted or endangered species to fuel TMC.
Just
a few “for instances”: pangolin scales, tiger bones, rhino horns, seahorses and
bear bile are used in “medicinal” compounds as part of TCM. And please note: thousands of Asiatic black
bears are held in bear farms for the severely painful ongoing process of
accessing bear bile, which is also an ingredient in an injection recommended
for treating Covid-19. (Would you
take it?)
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| Stingray |
Animal
parts sought for use in TCM include stingray gill plates, testicles and penis
bone of dog, shark fins and lately, donkeys (now endangered and removed from some African countries, where they’re truly
needed by laborers, for this “pseudo-scientific” purpose.)
This
continued poaching and killing of animals for “traditional Chinese medicine” is
reminiscent of Canada’s annual seal slaughter, when it’s claimed that
clubbing baby seals for their fur is also part of a long tradition and therefore should continue.
But
in criticizing “traditional Chinese medicine” and other questionable traditions
fatal for animals, remember that this year in the US, a pig’s heart was implanted
in a human, and talk immediately began
about how easily pigs could be bred, then killed, for this purpose.
What
a world.
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| Asiatic Black Bear |
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