Food Chain/Web
As part of hiking safety education, rangers from both Canada and Alaska often addressed the reality of feeding relationship among species known as “food chain” or “food web”. Most animals eat berries and plants to survive. But some also eat other weaker animals they can prey. This is the manifestation of the survival of, not only the fittest but also, the strongest. At beginning of every hiking trip, our guiding ranger would tip us with the information of group safety. They told us, when encountered dangerous animals such as black bears, one of the tactics was to form a big circle and waved our hands high to make us look bigger than we really were. To scare away the animals so we would not be consumed and became part of the wilderness food chain.
Obviously, the cruel reality of the animal world is no different from human society. Weaker ones are easily fallen to the prey of stronger ones unless bond their strength together. It is also clear that those who prey on weaker ones are the true coward; their ultimate concern is nothing but their own survivals.
I remember one ranger responded to a hiker’s complain of frequent mosquito bites. He replied, jokingly, that we actually made non-fatal contributions to the survival of wildlife by offering our blood as the lower level feeding to the food chain. The mosquitoes who survived on our blood would function as important agents to the survival of other animals in the wilderness. While female mosquitoes breeding the next generation mosquitoes, the male mosquitoes were out pollinating berries, flowers and plants (“They are pretty good at this across the species.” I thought, only quietly) that, in turn, fed animals.
It is a quite philosophical way of seeing our reluctant “sacrifice” for the nature.
As part of hiking safety education, rangers from both Canada and Alaska often addressed the reality of feeding relationship among species known as “food chain” or “food web”. Most animals eat berries and plants to survive. But some also eat other weaker animals they can prey. This is the manifestation of the survival of, not only the fittest but also, the strongest. At beginning of every hiking trip, our guiding ranger would tip us with the information of group safety. They told us, when encountered dangerous animals such as black bears, one of the tactics was to form a big circle and waved our hands high to make us look bigger than we really were. To scare away the animals so we would not be consumed and became part of the wilderness food chain.
Obviously, the cruel reality of the animal world is no different from human society. Weaker ones are easily fallen to the prey of stronger ones unless bond their strength together. It is also clear that those who prey on weaker ones are the true coward; their ultimate concern is nothing but their own survivals.
I remember one ranger responded to a hiker’s complain of frequent mosquito bites. He replied, jokingly, that we actually made non-fatal contributions to the survival of wildlife by offering our blood as the lower level feeding to the food chain. The mosquitoes who survived on our blood would function as important agents to the survival of other animals in the wilderness. While female mosquitoes breeding the next generation mosquitoes, the male mosquitoes were out pollinating berries, flowers and plants (“They are pretty good at this across the species.” I thought, only quietly) that, in turn, fed animals.
It is a quite philosophical way of seeing our reluctant “sacrifice” for the nature.
*************************************************************
It is a raining day. I do laundry, catch-up reading and writing at the Riley Creek Campground where I stay.
Riley Creek Campground has three gravel loop drives. Each has about 50 composites. I stay in Caribou Loop for 5 days.
No comments:
Post a Comment