A young black bear in Pennsylvania had the nerve to wander into a suburban neighborhood the other day. What was it thinking? Did it not realize that it was encroaching on human territory? Needless to say, residents were not amused. This is America, after all, and only humans are allowed to take over land and destroy natural habitats.
Luckily for the bear, animal control was on the scene. They quickly tranquilized the poor creature, who tumbled out of the tree it had climbed and landed on a tarp, which was conveniently placed by the animal control officers. Of course, the bear had no idea what was happening, but it was clear to anyone with half a brain that this was all for its own good.
Residents of the neighborhood were thrilled at the sight of the bear being taken away. “Oh, I was so relieved,” one homeowner gushed. “I didn’t know what to do if that bear came any closer to my house.”
Yes, that’s right. Because in a world where humans have destroyed countless animal habitats, encroached on wildlife for decades, and caused species to go extinct left and right, it’s the bear who’s the real danger to society.
But let’s be clear about one thing: this is not the bear’s fault. It’s not like bears wake up one morning and decide to wander into human neighborhoods just for fun. No, it’s humans who have been encroaching on bear habitats for decades, leaving them with nowhere else to go. So, instead of blaming the bear, why not take a long, hard look at ourselves and our actions?
Of course, that would require some self-reflection and introspection, which might be too much to ask for some. It’s much easier to blame the bear and pat ourselves on the back for dealing with the problem. Never mind that it was a problem we created in the first place.
But let’s not forget that this story does have a happy ending. The bear was safely taken away, and will hopefully be released back into the wild where it belongs. Maybe one day we’ll learn to coexist with our animal neighbors instead of just kicking them out of their homes whenever we feel like it.
Until then, let’s at least be grateful that there are people out there trying to do the right thing for these majestic creatures. And let’s hope that, one day, we’ll no longer need stories like this – because humans will finally have learned their lesson.
