Thursday, June 20, 2013

Proceed with Caution

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Top: Nico righting Champ in the shallow waters of boaters paradise. Christopher looking on


June 20th, 2013

I ran over a kitten today. I can think of 4 total animals that I have killed with my vehicle over the years that I have not forgotten. 

My first incident was a raccoon. I was leaving a movie theater in the late hours of a Friday night. I was driving my car down a dark winding road when, from the corner of my eye, I saw a raccoon run out in the road. The far reaching lights from the city lightly silhouetted his body giving me a quick notice to prepare for an on coming missile. The raccoon was in full sprint. He must have thought he had crossing the street down however, he didn’t make it and ran in the rear left quarter panel of my car. I stopped on the desolate road and moved the caucus to the side of the street. 

I was never a person to hunt. I just never grew up in a hunting home. Not to question anyone who enjoys it. But hunting an animal for sport just isn’t my thing. I imagine though, if I needed food on the table to survive during an apocalypse I could kill an animal so my family could eat. But then, who would want to live during an apocalypse. anyhow 

When I ran over the fox there was no impending danger of people rising from the dead or the end of days on earth that is predicted. I was minding my own business as I drove my work truck down a well lit street. I was driving in the left lane (in America thats the fast lane) when I noticed a fox dart out in the roadway. There was no time to stop. I could only gasp as I felt the wheels thud over something causing the truck to bounce. I immediately stopped, got out of my truck and noticed right away the fox didn’t make it. Why was he running? What was the rush? There was no dogs after him. No fox hunt on this day. I just grabbed a shovel and buried him there in the medium. THe best I could do for him with such short notice. 

I guess there are certain risks you have to endure when your living in the concrete jungle. Everything you do as animal has to be a full sprint when your trying to avoid cars and people. Not to mention natural predators or other animals looking to fight if your in their territory. 

I left a work a little early after I had someone come in for me to work the rest of my shift. I was so glad to be off and happy that I wouldn’t have to return to work for the day. As I drove down the street I noticed a congregation of cats lining up by a house in the dar off distance. These cats were feral and were fed by local people. As I go closer to the area a mini cat riot broke out over the food that was being placed on the ground. The hairballs went flying and the fighting ensued. One particular calico cat was chased into the wheels of my police car. The woman feeding the cat was devastated. To console her  I grabbed her shovel and buried the cat on the side of the road. I guess during feeding time the wild cats are living in a dog-eat-dog world. 

How can killing an animal affect me so, when I know lots of manly men who hunt for sport and I consider myself a man among men and I don’t hunt? I don’t hold on to these incidents of striking an animal with my car. It’s just something that happens and that kind of fate is out of my control. But I remember those animals because there is just so few that I killed. 

I backed my patrol car up and ran over a kitten. I didn’t mean to. It was out of my control. But I feel so bad. My car engine was on because my car battery had died and I was letting it charge. I would think the sound of a motor on would scare a cat or in this case a kitten, but it didn’t. I didn’t want to deal with it so I asked a fellow officer who is an avid hunter to take care of the little guy for me. I couldn’t bear to deal with the cats death now at the beginning of my shift. I just wanted to drive off and get back to work. 

So now I’ll drive and be more cautious but how cautious can I be when I’ll never know when or where the chicken may decide to cross the road. 

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