01-31-2019, 10:25 AM
A NOTE BEFORE CONTINUING
In hindsight, it occurs to me that I've painted Stuart a little too darkly, as I share some of his sentiments. I came here to see wildlife in its natural habitat, not plucked from the jungle and presented to us back at the ecolodge with lots of human handling. I recall an occasion thirty years ago at Marine World (then located in Redwood City, CA) sitting outdoors on bleachers watching, of all things, a lion-tamer act -- some guy with a whip in a cage with a lion. I couldn't believe I'd paid to see some macho man "proving his courage" by making a lion jump through hoops. Let me see the lion in some semblance of its natural habitat doing what it does, bringing down prey!
So, yes, I wished I'd seen the two vine snakes and tree boa in their natural jungle habitat, not after capture and in human hands. And I wasn't really interested in holding them, as that seemed a bit of machismo wasted on me. Still, I did not fault the snakers for doing so. They handled snakes for a living, loved them, were environmentally conscious. They certainly didn't deserve Stuart's contempt. As for Stuart, he never struck me as all that eco-conscious. If he were made steward of this jungle region, he might very well convert it to high-rise rental units, whereas the snakers could be fully trusted with such a responsibility.
All in all, Stuart stays very much a part of our group going forward, talkative, often funny.
In hindsight, it occurs to me that I've painted Stuart a little too darkly, as I share some of his sentiments. I came here to see wildlife in its natural habitat, not plucked from the jungle and presented to us back at the ecolodge with lots of human handling. I recall an occasion thirty years ago at Marine World (then located in Redwood City, CA) sitting outdoors on bleachers watching, of all things, a lion-tamer act -- some guy with a whip in a cage with a lion. I couldn't believe I'd paid to see some macho man "proving his courage" by making a lion jump through hoops. Let me see the lion in some semblance of its natural habitat doing what it does, bringing down prey!
So, yes, I wished I'd seen the two vine snakes and tree boa in their natural jungle habitat, not after capture and in human hands. And I wasn't really interested in holding them, as that seemed a bit of machismo wasted on me. Still, I did not fault the snakers for doing so. They handled snakes for a living, loved them, were environmentally conscious. They certainly didn't deserve Stuart's contempt. As for Stuart, he never struck me as all that eco-conscious. If he were made steward of this jungle region, he might very well convert it to high-rise rental units, whereas the snakers could be fully trusted with such a responsibility.
All in all, Stuart stays very much a part of our group going forward, talkative, often funny.