I've been thinking about capturing, training, and exploiting...I mean partnering with a wild animal of my very own. I believe a dancing bear is my kindred spirit, now to break the spirit of this majestic beast so it will do as I command. How fun and exciting! There are very few of us who dance bears, an elite sport not for the faint of heart. Please follow along in my journey as I stalk, trap, and convince this predator through hunger that I am its new world. For one lucky bear, a life in the dangerous wild will be replaced with all the luxurious a bear could ever want...I'm basically rescuing it. My bear riding shot gun (blindfolded, handcuffed, and in a straitjacket) will be the envy of all.
Picture from http://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dancing_bear_in_Bulgaria_about_1970_1.jpg
I don't get falconry.. *at all*, and I don't get dancing bears either. I don't get catching animals for the purposes of enjoyment of humans. I do understand re-habbing Hawks, for sure, but why catch one for your pleasure.. Just because something is done for a very long time, does not mean it is right. If you love something set it free, remember that?
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ReplyDeleteI wish there was a way to impart how serious this is, and I can speak with some experience on the subject. I hold a Class B captive wildlife license (issued by the DNR). The reason? We occasionally accept birds & waterfowl that are permanently injured and unable to migrate or evade predators. We have a resident population of domestic geese & ducks who have accepted several of their wild brethren into the flock. The humane society and local wildlife rescue organizations call us, once every few years if the need arises, with an "un-placeable" animal that needs a permanent home. We do not trap, purchase, or otherwise acquire these species. My license is displayed on our property, and requires annual renewal. A game warden can decide, at any time, to inspect our land.
ReplyDeleteThe differences between domestic and wild animals is TREMENDOUS. We have raised domestic poultry and gamebirds of many species, goats, rabbits, etc. and NONE of them compare to wild animals. Even after they've lived in captivity for years.
We are not a rescue. We are not a gamefarm. We do not charge admission. We do not do this for profit - we simply have the knowledge, time, land, and facilities to provide a solution. In fact, the amount of money we have invested in housing, predator protection, feed and supplement expenses over the years, far exceeds the investment needed for a domestic animal of similar size. We are fortunate to work for ourselves, our small business is doing well, and the animals are a personal interest that we can afford and enjoy.
But I digress..... Many people in the community know that we have a variety of animals. I have been saddened and infuriated by the phone calls we receive, from "hobbyists" run awry with wildlife they acquired and then cannot control. They don't want any legal punishment, so they refuse to call state wildlife rehab facilities or the DNR. Instead, I get phone calls about baby mallard ducks that outgrew the bathtub, permanently imprinted on people, and will only eat from a person's hand. Or a young goose, lured into a dog kennel and locked in during fall migration. The person got tired of feeding it - and wanted to "let it go" on our property in the middle of winter. It never stood a chance. We cannot legally accept these animals, taken irresponsibly from their natural lives. So we don't, and many wildlife centers can do nothing because they're imprinted on humans and cannot be rehabilitated, and humane societies can't accept wildlife species, so the animals die. Slowly, often due to exposure or being "set free!" after being forcibly domesticated. Heartbreaking.
Wolves and wolf-hybrids are legal in my state, and there are falconers in the area. Most of the people who live alongside these animals dedicate much of their life - and heaps of their MONEY - to this coexistence. The ones who fall short on knowledge, time, or cash, result in disease, injury, and ultimately death.
~ A
Thank you ~A. Well said.
DeleteI have a hawk that visits my farm often, perches up on the weather vane or the rose arbor and watches life below. He is fantastic to watch, but OMG!! it never occurred to me to catch him and make him a pet. He's too beautiful to just watch. Maybe my problem is I don't have some twisted Celtic fantasy.
Ne worries, Meredith! Just like humans, animals eventually develop what is referred to as "Stockholm Syndrome," where they come to see their captor and exploiters as beloved friends, so in no time whatsoever, you will be taking your bear to Renaissance Fairs, writing books about how to trap and kidnap them out of their natural habitat, and holding workshops -- and of course proving, once again, how very DIFFERENT and SPECIAL you are for capturing a wild animal to be part of the imaginary world you live in! Haha!
ReplyDeleteCome on Hot Flash...don't forget shoving a camera in their face!
DeleteOK, that made me spit out my coffee! On a more serious note, as Joel Salatin said, if you can't grow a good garden, don't try to farm and I would add, if you can't manage domesticated livestock successfully, don't try working with wildlife.
ReplyDeleteIt's odd that she believes transporting domestic pigs to a USDA certified butcher (which means being able to sell the pork not just barter it) is too stressful for the animal...but what she's doing to this hawk is perfectly ok? don't get it.
ReplyDeleteWildlife rescues would love to have volunteers to help fly birds of prey in an effort to condition them for release. its rewarding in a way that respects the animals wild nature and right to be free.
ReplyDeleteGreat comment anon ~A (and the rest of course). I hate to be so blinded to not see the complete truth in what you wrote. Jenna has often belittled pet rescue, I imagine wildlife rescue is no different in her eyes.
ReplyDeleteOh great, where do we sign up to help support your expensive hobby?
ReplyDeleteMeredith you made my morning. But, are you sure a bear is the right animal? Perhaps a monkey, lion or elephant would be more marketable and impressive to the public. And, when you tire of them there are lots of places (I mean resuces) where you can dump them.
ReplyDeleteWhen you are a Narcissist, nothing is bizarre as long as you get attention you crave from it! I can only imagine the horror the poor wild bird feels - like a hostage in a foreign land. Blindfolded, starved into submission, waiting until it's Captor deems take care of it's needs that it can't even communicate. Trapped into a tiny cage (they are all tiny compared to the wild) with it's own increment and deprived of the joy of flying. Just like the bear in the photo above, one day it's eyes will no longer sparkle with life.. and instead long for the relief of death. That photo of the terribly depressed bear tears my heart out. No being deserves that kind of life....especially when it suffers just for the amusement or warped sense of importance for the Captor. How very tragic......
ReplyDeleteMeredith and HotFlash - you are too funny! Really, could you imagine someone buying a property next door to her and one-upsmanshipping her? A bear to top her hawk. Pheasants to her bought-already-grown turkeys. Spunky to her scrappy. BTW, has anyone else noticed a dearth of "scrappy" in her prose lately?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure this is disturbing to those who work so hard to rehab wildlife. Let's just hope this animal survives.
You are too funny Anon...
ReplyDeleteShe talks about Italics like he's stupid.."brain the size of a pea." How insulting to him. This is from the Oklahoma Birds and Butterflies website:
ReplyDelete"The Red-tailed hawk is very intelligent and is one of the easier raptors to tame. Throughout the United States and much of the world hawking or falconry is a popular sport in which trained hawks capture game. Red-tailed hawks actually train their falconers as much as their falconers train them."
Don't flatter yourself, Jenna. That bird is probably smarter than you are.
Between the Clan Cold Antler and capturing that hawk - I'm done. This time next year, she'll have a shiny new pet - a monkey? - and another new hobby - quilting? - to distract her from how mismanaged her farm is.
ReplyDeleteQuilting would actually be interesting, I did like seeing the things she'd knit before the wool became a business, even though I am not a knitter. It actually inspired me to crochet. But I'm sure you are right and it will be another live creature to add to her collection as a passing fancy, sadly.
DeleteI've done quilting and I am a knitter, I'm not being dismissive of the crafts. I'm just betting she'll come up with another activity that she can then plan workshops around.
DeleteOh, absolutely Angela, no doubt!
DeleteWell, Italics has an inside perch now. Has that been inspected like the mews, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteIs that even legal?
DeleteI'm not sure, that's why I mentioned it. It certainly isn't fair to the bird. She is like a young child with a new toy, dragging it behind her by the arm. When the new wears off, she will find another toy to play with. Just as Jasper was replaced by Merlin, Italics days are equally numbered. Assuming she doesn't outright kill through neglect. Speaking of Jasper, I having seen any mentio of him lately. I wonder if he's dead, or just sold off for scrap. Be interesting to see if she mentions him now.
DeleteEnter Annie vs hawk. I'd be a nervous wreck with a what...federally owned loaner hawk in the house with a bird killing dog?
DeleteWhere does it say the bird has an inside perch? I missed that. If she is bringing that bird inside, that's a HUGE no-no, even if it's not illegal with falconry. You don't bring animals inside when their bodies are adapted to live inside. You bring an animal in the heat, then put it back out in the cold and you're asking for trouble. It's a very stupid thing to do, and she should know that.
DeleteOops, you don't bring animals inside when their bodies are adapted to live *outside*.
DeleteShe did just that with the most recent sick now dead lamb. brought inside and kicked back out with no improvement or ability to move.
DeleteAs a former avian rehabber, I can tell you it is absolutely a no-no, unless the animal is very ill, in which case they need a warm environment to recover in, as they can have trouble maintaining body heat. A healthy wild bird or raptor is not to be kept as pet parrot would be, sitting on a perch in the home (even for short periods), and I believe federal laws are quite strict regarding that kind of thing, unless the animal has been declared un-releasable for some reason.
DeleteAgreed. If a DNR warden were to inspect our land and find a licensed wild animal indoors hanging out next to my keyboard..... Goodbye license, goodbye everything.
Delete~A
I have never read so much hateful, vile garbage in my life. Don't you people have anything better to do than stalk someone else's blog and then try to tear her down for everything she does? I also find it funny how many of you are anonymous. If you don't agree with her or her posts or the way she does things, just don't read her blog or her facebook postings. I seriously doubt this comment will be posted. I'm a reader of Jenna's, but I certainly wouldn't consider myself a cult member. You people actually frighten me with all your hate. I bet you all call yourselves Christians too.
ReplyDeleteCarol, there are a number of people here who used to enthusiastically support Jenna's blog and endeavors.
DeleteIn addition to concerns about animal welfare (explained very well by Natalie, below) she has questionable business ethics and owes a number of people money, refunds, or services promised. If someone owed you $200 worth of yarn that you had pre-paid for, would you consider it "stalking" to follow their business updates?
This goes back beyond recent events:
http://artists-beware.dreamwidth.org/107253.html?replyto=3503093&style=light
This is not about religion.
I think calling Jenna hateful, vile, garbage is going a bit far.
DeleteI really think that the people here have done a fair job of keeping things in context. JW is a really low class person, who is taking advantage of unsuspecting people, including you, Carol. Perhaps we can all look the other way as she scams and weasels money from people, but I don't think we can just look the other way as she abuses one animal after another. What she did to that lamb is inexcusable. If you've got a sick animal, you need to care for it, or put it down. That's the hard reality of animal husbandry. A hard reality JW is not able to grasp, despite talking up the hardships she allegedly deals with on a daily basis as a "homesteader", or whatever she is calling herself at the time. Chasing this hawk dream of hers while an animal lingers on the brink of death is irresponsible. She has inappropriate priorities, no financial responsibility, and doesn't have the experience to handle what she has undertaken.
Personally, I think she is quite mentally ill. Rather than her being responsible for other living beings, I think someone should be in charge of activities before she kills again.
Carol, I beg to disagree with you. You say, "I have never read so much hateful, vile garbage in my life." Sorry, but I have, and it wasn't here. Did you ever read the comments on Jenna's blog over the last several years? For the last several years they were filled with nothing, but "so much hateful, vile garbage" directed at anyone who dared say anything against what Jenna had to claim. The majority of the people who used to comment really were her fans and were trying to give her helpful advise. They had read her for years and were happy for her. I used to be a fan and loved to read the comments just as much as her blog. Her comment sections used to be some of the best online discussions about most any given topic. I learned so much from reading them. That is until she stopped caring about her animals and her readers. Then it all became filled with "hateful, vile garbage" which Jenna, in her passive-aggressive way, encouraged her cult to throw at the true fans of hers. She has only wanted to surround herself with her "yes" people. Anyone who might think differently is treated like they are horrible, no matter how gentle they are in what they have to say. Now, please, tell me that isn't " hateful, vile garbage." Yup. Just as I guessed, you can't deny her blog and the comments became rather horrid over the last year or so. So, please get off your high horse...no one looks good up there, including you and me.
DeleteJust for the record, I use Anonymous because I don't have a blog, Facebook or any other account. That is something I have chosen over the years. And, am thankful I have. I will sign my name, because I am not ashamed of it...or my opinions.
Valerie
Hi Carol,
ReplyDeleteI felt similarly when I started reading through this blog and comments. However, I kept reading because there couldn't be anything to this, could there?! It took me several days to process, but I sadly realized the people here were right. I don't mind that JW lives off of donations, because if people will send it, why should it bother me? What got me the most is the suspected animal abuse. Read the post about the poor lamb. Do you think that it was treated the way Meredith suspects? Obviously, livestock is meant to be butchered, but the point of a small farm is to treat the animals well until their final day. Why not put the lamb out of his misery?
I donated to her. I thought she was fantastic. Even I can see she goes from one interest to the next quite quickly. She begs for money because she's in foreclosure, then she continues on to capture a hawk, which seems like an expensive hobby. Wouldn't it make sense to wait, when the future is that uncertain? Again, the finance issues aren't my business, but hawks need to eat. Sheep need to eat. Dogs, cats, chickens, and pigs all need to eat.
Watch her blog and see when she next begs for money. A month? Two? Is there a sick animal that vet care can't be had? Go back and read her whole blog (a second time, if you've done it already). Then, come back here and tell me what you think. My name is Natalie. I post anonymously because I post through my phone and it is difficult to post any other way on blogspot. I have shared my feelings of being a fool.
I truly miss my rose colored glasses, where JW is concerned. I stopped reading her blog, I stopped being part of that community. I love reading homesteaders blogs. She is a hell of a marketer.
For the record, I don't call myself anything, except an animal lover. I can't abide by abuse.
-Natalie
Carol, I post through my phone too and anonymous is accepted without hassle. I don't appreciate the religious slander you wrote. I used to believe what Jenna wrote, but began to question the way she treats her animals when I was reading barnheart, and since then I have learned about her abuse and neglect from Jenna herself. I had donated, but never again. Btw the comments in this blog are hard to understand when your eyes are in blinders, like mine once were.
ReplyDeleteThank you Meredith for this blog.
~Sue
I think most of us post anonymously because Jenna's cult members are personallyattacking anyone who voices a negative opinion about anything JW does. They are a bunch of hypocrites....sticking up for JW and saying how nobody deserves to be told anything 'mean", yet they'll turn around and call Meredith names, or anyone else who disagrees with what the almighty JW does. Hypocrites.
ReplyDeleteAnd what does religion have to do with anything?