ANIMAL FORTEANA


In the beginning of things men were animals and animals men. ~ Algonquin saying

"For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much — the wheel, New York, wars and so on — whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man — for precisely the same reasons." ~ The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Bear on the Eugene Bike Path: Close to Home, Literally

Wow, if you know this area in Eugene, Oregon, where I live, you'd know that this is very odd: Bear wanders onto west Eugene bike path.
This is literally less than two miles from my house. Right in the middle of town. I have been on this path many times. One more example of signals: of wild animals seeking food, safety, habitat, as well as possible disorientation from... who knows what. Ever encroaching human habitats and construction, pollution and environmental changes, etc.

Not the first time a wild animal has been seen in this town; a few years ago there was a cougar seen on the University of Oregon campus. There are wild turkeys all around the hills, we often see deer just a mile or so from here. It's always amazing to me, the juxtaposition of city life: traffic, buildings, "downtown" (such as that is, given Eugene's crazy-wild ass hat stupid ideas of urban planning, but that's an entirely different subject) and wild animals, such as deer, bear, cougar, etc.

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