Friday, June 15, 2012

Jim's Happiness

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 "...The time I spent in the jungles held unalloyed happiness for me, and that happiness I would now gladly share. My happiness, I believe, resulted from the fact that all wild life is happy in its natural surroundings. In nature there is no sorrow, and no repining. A bird from a flock, or an animal from a herd, is taken by a hawk or by a carnivorous beast and those that are left rejoice that their time had not come today, and have no thought of tomorrow. When I was ignorant I tried to rescue birds and young animals caught by hawks or by eagles, and deer caught by carnivorous beasts, but soon found that in trying to rescue one I caused the death of two. For the talons of hawk and eagle, and claws of carnivorous beasts, hold poison in the form of decayed flesh or blood, and unless expert treatment is immediately applied---which is not possible in a jungle---only one in a hundred of rescued birds or animals survive, and the killer, being deprived of its prey, immediately finds another victim to satisfy its hunger or the hunger of its young.


It is the function of certain birds and animals to maintain the balance in nature, and in order to carry out this function and at the same time provide themselves with the only food they can assimilate it is necessary for them to kill. This killing is ---whenever possible---expeditiously and very expertly performed. From the killer's point of view expeditious killing is necessary to avoid attracting enemies, and I see no reason why it should not also be a provision of nature designed to minimize suffering."




.........Jim Corbett in Jungle Lore.



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