In the animal world that includes humans, we tend to get caught up in the competition for goodies: territory, water, and plant and animal foods.That sometimes leads us to develop hatred toward rodents or predators who have trouble distinguiishing between natural and husbanded foodstuffs and territories.
I'm a prairie chicken. I was born and grew up in southern Kansas where the sky was all around you. I could see for miles in every direction, and to this day, I feel crowded when I cannot see a lot of sky. My city friends rarely looked up. In the city or in the woods, things happen suddenly. On the prairie, more often, you see what is coming, and with help so far away, you had better pay attention. We didn't have the weather man to warn us.
This picture was taken off the southern coast of South Africa. I call it The Worrier in honor of the little guy on top the rock who was pacing along. They are called Jackass Penguins because they bray like a jackass.
The South Africans are good stewards of their land and wildlife. When a tanker spill occurred some miles from a little island south of Capetown, a huge colony of these little penguins were endangered. A major preventive rescue ensued with government workers and a mass of volunteers. People rushed to the island with plastic crates and captured the feisty little guys. If you think that was easy, think again. Those sharp little beaks slashed rubber gloves like butter, and the birds are canny and quick.
Watching a capture was more fun than doing one. Some vigorous young student would race up and down while the penguin slipped away. If the person gave up in disgust and chased another target, the first penguin would stop and follow his former pursuer with great interest.
Once loaded up, the penguins were shipped a thousand miles away and set free to allow them to swim back. Some wore radio transmitters so the colony could be tracked. It took them about a month to swim back to their island. In the meantime, the South Africans had managed the leak and cleaned up the island.