[pct-l] ? authority/bears

[philippe.gouvet@univ-pau.fr (Philippe Gouvet)]

>
>" We in California elected to stop hunting mountain
>lions, fully knowing in the back of our collective minds that someday one of
>these big cats might just come out and munch one of our friends or family.
>That's the price of keeping them out of extinction.  The similar thing goes
>for the bears.  We have caused the problem by not allowing the hunting or
>painful-fear-instilling of bears in and around the National Parks. "
>
>Greg, I beg to differ.  It's my understanding the primary reason for
>the cat and bear 'problem' interfering with the general public is
>that the general public came into their territory totally un-invited.
>
>The animals were all here first...this is their home...it's we folks
>who have caused the problem; not them there critters. We moved into
>their home, without even asking permission first. Not good manners
>from what my Momma taught me.
>
>JoAnn  (as guilty as all the rest)

JoAnn's response raises very interesting (philosophical ?) questions,
even though I am not sure this is the right place to discuss them. If
animals 'were here first,' if the wilderness 'is their home,' where
is man's home, where is man's territory? How do you mean when you say
animals were here first? How about nature (to avoid using the word
'wilderness') : are we at home there, or not? Of course allow me to
say I am not one of the gun-toting kill-em-all pack. Being
desperately in love with your wilderness and having worked for quite
a long time on the relationship of American people to the wilderness,
I only beg to see where it hurts, if I can say so...

Philippe Gouvet, France