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There was an interesting press release from SanParks this week which immediately sent the mind into the political space.
The good people who look after our flora and fauna and preserve our precious wilderness were pleading with the public not to take it upon themselves to feed animals in those parts of the Garden Route National Park that had been devastated by the recent fires. This after kind-hearted volunteers groups had been dropping vegetables and seeds around the park for the starving animals.
“Scientists and civil society research groups have cautioned against feeding wild animals,” the press release said.
Garden Route National Park manager Paddy Gordon warned in the press release that “feeding wild animals may lead to an increase in animal conflict with each other”.
“Once all the feeding programmes and volunteers withdraw relief efforts, animals will keep coming to usual spots to collect food which could lead to a conflict with other wild animals, domestic pets and also with humans,” he said.
He continued that this feeding would habituate animals to humans, not a positive development in the wild.
He added that spreading fodder over burnt areas “might also lead animals to eat both fodder and any new growth of plants or shoots. This might delay the growth of plants in those areas.”
Gordon also cautioned the feeders that their kind acts “can also have an influence on breeding patterns in some animal species.
“Should the feeding suddenly stop, animals will also be severely affected,” he said.
Now lets apply this to humans, politicians and government officials in particular. This lowly newspaperman suggests that this message should be modified and distributed world-wide to regulate citizens’ relationships with politicians and public officials.
You see, if you feed (bribe) these species, they are likely to end up fighting over the spoils. In the case of traffic cops and police officers, they will set up traps and the like at the same spots where they know they are likely to score the best tjotjo. There will be big competition between them for the most lucrative corners. Conflict will arise.
In the case of dodgy government officials and politicians, they have been known to known to fight over the best blessers. They all want to have the most free-giving businessperson on their side.
When it comes to the feeding trough the corrupt types tend to prioritise projects where the likelihood of eating is high, meaning that – just like the animals – they will come back to that spot.
Now let’s move to habituation part. It is known that corruption soon becomes a habit. That is why you have countries in parts of the world where all government activity – even to get to the front of the queue for a hospital bed or a place in school – is governed by bribes.
We all know how the rapacious are. So when you feed them they end up over-eating, gobbling up the “fodder and the shoots”.
Tales abound of roads not being properly tarred or built only half-length, of incomplete schools and housing projects that never get off the ground. As SanParks says, this behaviour impedes growth before it has even started.
On breeding patterns, bribe-takers eventually assume the ill-gotten gains form part of their wages. They plan their domestic lives – family size, lifestyle and location – factoring in this money. Therefore “should the feeding suddenly stop”, a lot goes wrong for this lot.
All around we see this taking place. The animals eat greedily and then when the feeders are – for whatever reason – no longer able to feed them they find themselves at a loose end. Society, humanity’s version of nature, is destabilised. In the end it is not only the feeder and the eater who are hurt. The whole ecosystem suffers.
So DO NOT feed the animals
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