Friday 19 November 2010

Red in tooth and claw

Those people who view my blog on a regular basis are aware of my feelings towards all things natural. These include the beautiful and the sometimes not so beautiful! What occured at work the other day is an example of the not so beautiful, but this makes it no less fascinating.

I was busily collecting fallen leaves at one of the gardens I `look` after when I heard a scream coming from the rose bed. A horrible, high-pitched affair, sounding like a baby in distress! I looked up to see a full grown adult rabbit held in the jaws of a Stoat! The predator was at least a third in size and probably body weight to its` prey, but it manfully (or should that be stoatfully) killed the rabbit and then proceeded to drag its victim under the nearby shed. The stoat was only killing to survive and whilst not everybody`s cup of tea a true wonder of nature nonetheless.

I am not a blood-thirsty type of person and wonder at the beauty of nature, but sometimes this kind of thing brings home what a desperate struggle our fellow animals have every day just to survive!

6 comments:

  1. The rabbit might not see it like this, but nature’s just one giant restaurant really, isn’t it?

    Bon appetit
    The enigmatic, masked blogger

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  2. Too true, the balance of nature is a fine line that I don`t think humans have got the hang of!
    J

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  3. Hi John,
    Survival at its most brutal reality. Survival in order to live. Yes indeed, man has much to learn about the true balance of nature.
    Keep going with your thought provoking blog, John.
    May you have a peaceful weekend.
    Gary.

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  4. What, no picture? 'Nature red, in tooth and claw' and 'Survival of the fittest' are concepts that you have hinted at here, John.

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  5. Thanks Gary, I do try! We think our lives are so hard, don`t we? We wouldn`t last five minutes in the `real` world.
    You have a peaceful weekend too.
    J

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  6. I know bazza, terrible isn`t it! I was frightened that if I went to get my camera the stoat would take fright and run off, having wasted its energy and also the life of the rabbit!
    J

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