Back in my days of college when I took Environmental Science classes at Virginia Tech there was a real mixture of backgrounds who were passionate about the environment. People had different views, reasons, morals but with one common goal. There isn’t one mold to someone who loves nature and wants to save the environment. Some were farmers, some were “hippies”, some were engineering minds, some wanted to save people in general. The fact being even some who may kill animals might have a higher understanding and appreciation of nature and wildlife than a devoted one.
My good friend Sam who was a southerner who lived in Bland County, VA not too far from Blacksburg was an avid hunter. Did he like hunting season, Yes with no doubt. He liked to hunt and use his weapons. I don’t fully agree with it. But hey we complain about it while the rest of us sit and do “passive killing” but letting someone else do the dirty work and we buy it at the grocery store. Sam and his family used every single part of that deer and appreciated it. And maybe that’s what we need to get too in our relation to other animal life. Know and understand what is at stake and the benefit we get from it.
This friendship and understanding was triggered again by watching Swamp People on History Channel if you can believe it. Hey they hunt and kill gators. Yeah its bad, yeah its easy. But is it not better than the current status quo? A gator gets to live its natural life and become an adult for a quick death. Better to be in a factory farm and have a miserable life every second since birth. Whats worse? We go to the store and buy it. Do we get any sense of appreciation from it.
It also brings me to two scenes where they save an otter and fawn. They love and adore these animals like a pet. Just some wild animal. But these Swamp People understand nature and life and the environment. What it has to offer, what we take and what it gives, and then loving it. They want to take care of it more than we do. As sadly it is to kill, they have to do it for a living. Even though some others who claim to be environmentalist don’t even appreciate or do more good than these people do. Who can be labeled and viewed as anti-environment.
Take a look at the videos below and let your heart melt!
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