Do you ever think about the fact that we’re all really just home invaders? Stick with me for a couple of minutes here. I tried to think of a title that would have some sort of double meaning or whatever, but I wanted to be straightforward in my point, and what you see is the best I could come up with. What I want to get across today is that wild animals don’t venture into our territory; we simply share one.

Even though humans have a superior level of intelligence amongst other beings, the world shouldn’t necessarily revolve around us. That might sound bizarre, but I want you to think of it like this – we function in a modern, developed world that we have customized to best suit our needs, while other beings that are driven by instinct have to adapt to our way of life just to survive. By “others” I’m referring to the wild animals that we often fear.

Let me try to give you some perspective. I saw something on Facebook the other day that emphasized this point, using the notion of shark-infested waters. Are the waters really “infested,” or is that just where they live? When a person sees a bear crossing through their backyard, they often make a big deal of it and fear for their safety. But really, we’ve just developed housing infrastructure in bear country…

I live in an area dense in nature and lacking in city life, so over the last couple of weeks, I’ve gathered pictures of different animals I’ve seen roaming the area, to try to share the point that we’ve moved into their home, not the other way around.

I’ll start off with my painted turtle findings. The road to my house goes right past a big pond, bustling with Eastern Painted Turtles, especially young hatchlings. The turtle in the first pic is in its fully grown size, and was found in the middle of the dirt road, trying to get to the main pond (there are a few wetlands in the area). After a quick pic, the turtle was helped to the other side, in the direction it was already going, so that we wouldn’t have to worry about it getting hit by anything (like I almost did…). This turtle is also in the third pic, showing off where it gets the “painted” part of its name.

The turtle in the middle was just a baby, probably a day old at a maximum. I found him quite literally baking in the sun on our concrete path, so I gave him a lift across the road to the pond. It’s not uncommon that the young hatchlings get disoriented and end up in the yard, but as I’m trying to say, he was within a reasonable proximity to his natural habitat. A house and a hot concrete pad probably weren’t on the list of possibilities he might encounter.

I wanted to give this big Bertha its own section, as it is a rarity that we see a big guy like this, especially on the lakeside, away from the pond. This turtle was on the beach, probably laying eggs, and so it was left alone, untouched. Left alone to do its business, but also because you won’t catch me going anywhere near touching this beast.

Back to my point, I’m not saying that humans are bad because we’ve built houses on beautiful, natural pieces of land, but we do need to remember that this is their home, too. We shouldn’t freak out or panic when we see something slightly out of the ordinary, especially if it isn’t causing any harm.

Here’s a cute one to close out this post, a baby bunny that was found during maintenance at work. One of the maintenance guys was cutting the grass and came across this little guy (or gal, we didn’t check). The bunny wasn’t hurt, thank goodness, but none of its siblings were to be found in the yard. This cutie was brought inside quick to say “what now,” because we weren’t sure if it had been abandoned. It was brought back outside, and a couple of hours later, the rest of the clan was found reunited. This is a sign to say look out for wildlife in your every day outdoor activities, because you never know what you might run into.

I’ve come across a number of different animals, like a moose while driving, and a mad mother goose who used to guard a section of the dirt road I live on. People talk about moose crossing the highway, which we always need to be on the lookout for, but we’re the ones who put the road through their habitat. I’m not hating on the infrastructure we’ve created for better ways of life, I’m saying we need to remember who we’re sharing it with, and be cautious. Don’t detest animals for carrying out their lives in their natural habitat.

Now, there are instances where compatibility isn’t possible. Sometimes, animals like bears cross paths a little too closely with the human world, and they become a danger to both humans and themselves. Unfortunate circumstances do arise, and we can’t always leave the situation as it is. I read a post from Yellowstone National Park, explaining that they had to euthanize a bear in the area that had become too active in populated areas of the park. The bear was frequently seeking out food and overturning dumpsters. The situation became dangerous for humans trying to enjoy nature in a regulated setting, and dangerous for the bear as it was “habituated to human food,” as per the park website. I feel that this circles back to my main point, and emphasizes the importance of cleaning up after ourselves, and taking care of the areas we live in and explore. Leave no trace!

I’m not telling you to avoid nature – quite the opposite, actually. I think everyone is meant to enjoy nature and gain something from the land. However, I think that gain should come in a way that does not lead to greed, and ensures the land can be prosperous for all of those connected to it. We need to remember to be mindful of all of the non-humans that we share this beautiful planet with.

Side note before I close this out, I wrote the bulk of this over a month ago, and never finished writing the ending cause I blanked. I think I got across what I was trying to say, but anyway, thanks for reading!