Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law

Man versus Nature is one of the oldest conflicts in life, as in literature. Fuzz investigates that conflict, focusing largely on human-animal conflict. In some cases, humans are the prey, while in many others, they are indiscriminate killers. The fight is not fair, however, as humans have more weapons and knowledge. However, the author suggests that humanity should rethink its motivations and develop a new approach.

Many of the conflicts between humans and animals occur in agriculture. Farmers and ranchers, whether with large-scale or small, family-run operations, discover that their crops or livestock are being destroyed by wild animals. Blackbirds and coyotes are frequent culprits in the United States. Early conservation agencies in the US worked with farmers to bomb the birds by the thousands. The use of poison bait and traps was and, to some extent, still is common practice. For all the millions of dead birds, however, the effect on their populations was negligible. Additionally, the effect of crop loss from birds is not significant, either. For example, the estimates of sunflower seed loss in North Dakota turned out to be around two percent or less (174). Part of the issue is the human tendency to oversimplify the understanding of ecosystems and food webs.