WHAT ABOUT THE SNAKES AND THE ALLIGATORS

I’m watching the news and am really moved by the birds that are covered in oil from the BP Deep Horizon oil spill. These birds are fighting for their life. I then watch these birds being washed gently with hopes of saving their lives. If I lived closer to the gulf coast, I would be volunteering to do whatever is necessary to nurse the birds back to health. I don’t know if a layman like me would actually be allowed to handle the birds, but I would certainly be willing to assist in the process.

The birds, though, are not the only inhabitants of the gulf coast area. There are lots of snakes and alligators down there. Unfortunately, these animals are not ones that lay people should be attempting to handle. They’re also not animals that most of us like. I’m deathly afraid of them.

They are, though, part of the delicate ecosystems on the gulf coast and they can’t help it that they are snakes and alligators and not beautiful birds. Are the snakes and alligators able to “hunker down” and hide or are they just as vulnerable as the more attractive wild life of the gulf coast? All those creatures, loveable and cute, and not so lovable and cute, work together to maintain the ecosystems.

Let’s say we save a lot of birds, but a lot of snakes and alligators die. There are not enough alligators and snakes to eat the birds, resulting in an over population. Some of the birds die of starvation because there is not enough food for them. In desperation, they may enter your backyard and find the puppies that your family dog just gave birth to a tasty treat.

While it may appear that I’m trying to be humorous, I’m really not. The ecosystems on the gulf coast may be imbalanced for a long time. On TV, folks are seeing the birds covered in oil and tearing up. The snakes and alligators that are covered in the same oil are not portrayed on TV, but they are still important to the ecosystem.

This is just something we all should think about. What about the animals that are dangerous for us to handle, but are just as important to the gulf ecosystems.