Nov. 07, 2001 - 19:01 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Boomerang

When I was a kid, I remember trying to get close to four legged critters. I think most every town person had the urge to feed by hand and pet the beautiful animals and the urge to befriend squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits.

That mindset has been carried on I think as people grew up. Much to the dismay of the person who tries pet one of the big animals seen for instance in Yellowstone National Park, when something spooks said animal. No one can predict what happenstance will cause the animal to be startled and take defensive action against a well meaning person.

As the years passed here in Denver and vicinity, houses began to travel up into the foothills and even into once mountain wilderness areas.

Little by little the deer and bears are getting crowded and their life style hampered. This past winter some of the growing things that the bears of our state feed on had a bad growing season. So they had to range afar to find sustenance. To exacerbate the situation people who bought or built mountain homes began to leave trash and garbage out in such a way that animals could forage in the fast food of civilization.

So, for this past year bears are coming in to town further than they have ever before. Deer also are showing up in places they never have since this town grew enough to be called a city.

As a kid I would carry nuts to the squirrels in the park and around home when I could find any. There was one in our block who would take peanuts out of my hand and made my day when he would stand within arms reach of me occasionally and eat the nut I gave him. When on a picnic with my folks up in the hills I would spend time enticing chipmunks with tidbits off the table. I always had in the back of my mind how neat it would be to have a pet squirrel or a chipmunk. Yet I learned years later just how much damage squirrels do in houses here in town and how hard they are to get out of a house and then sqirrel-proof it. Then we have feral cats and packs of wild dogs caused I guess by people taking unwanted animals out of the city and dumping them.

So I would say that Bambi and Yogi Bear are sure nice in the cartoons although in real life we have over time spoiled the heck out of wild animals to the point they are becoming citified and not only pestiferous but dangerous.

Because of our love for four legged critters we have made them fur covered Boomerangs . . . . . . .

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