Cougars, And Not The Fun Kind

It appears nature, red in tooth and claw, has again thrown a kink into the belief system of those who think that man and nature can peacefully coexist. Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit has noted the accelerating trend of predators becoming more brazen as their familiarity with man increases. See here and here, for example.

In the latest instance, a mountain lion entered a Colorado couple's bedroom while they were sleeping and made a meal out of the couple's 12 year old Labrador retriever, Scout. Apparently Scout did not live up to the vigilance his name implies. Mr. Darwin, call your service.

The phenomenon of folks moving into animals' habitats, then being surprised that animals act like, well, animals, is not new. I think people who move to bear country who are surprised when Yogi and Boo Boo want to treat their trashcans like Ranger Smith's picnic baskets are well meaning ignoramuses. They're kin to those who move next to a cattle farm for the tranquillity, then moan that the flies and odors are bothersome. Or the geniuses who are shocked that their multimillion dollar McMansions with a stunning view of the 7th tee attract golf balls.

People, there's a reason our forebears tried to wipe out large predators (and in large measure succeeded) like wolves, cougars/mountain lions, grizzlies and Demi Moore. These predators and man cannot peacefully coexist, particularly once the predators start to associate man with food. State and federal officials should cease reintroduction programs on predators, and allow aggressive management of predators through hunting and relocation, where possible.

Or, we could all just move to the cities (except Chicago and NYC) and watch nature as God intended. On NatGeo from our sofas.

And a freebie for the pictured Ms. Gibson. Check out her delightfully titled book on Amazon, if you're a wannbe cougar. Or wanna be with a wannabe cougar.