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Incident in an Alley is a 1962 American neo noir crime film directed by Edward L. Cahn and starring Chris Warfield, Erin O'Donnell and Harp McGuire. [1] The film's premise rests on a legal precedent that police may use force against fleeing suspects if the suspect has committed a crime and is warned of the officer's intent to shoot.
Animals in distress react differently to humans when scared, utilising natural defence mechanisms. Their presence alone can be problematic, cause disruption and add complications to a plan. Animals often require specialist handlers and veterinary support.
- Overview
- The Circle of Life
- The Rescuers
- Public Pressure
The recent controversy over a bison calf in Yellowstone is just the latest in a series of tough choices on wild animals in trouble.
Maybe it’s a baby robin that falls out of a nest in the backyard, or perhaps twin deer fawns left orphaned after their mother gets struck by a car or eaten by wolves, or perchance a bald eagle, behaving strangely, staggering on the ground and unable to fly.
When wild animals appear to be in distress, should human beings intervene to rescue them or is it better to back off and let nature take its course?
This existential question is being debated again following a recent incident in Yellowstone National Park involving a bison that raised eyebrows and attracted international media attention.
Earlier in May, a Canadian tourist captured a wild bison calf with his bare hands and loaded it into his SUV. The man, Shamash Kassam, said he found the animal alone and shivering along the roadside in Yellowstone’s wildlife-rich Lamar Valley. Once he turned it over to rangers, park biologists made several attempts to reunite the youngster with its herd but when the calf was rejected, they euthanized it.
Kassam was fined $110 for violating park regulations, which strictly forbid contact with wildlife, and is supposed to make a court appearance in June. Meanwhile, the incident ignited emotional exchanges on social media ranging from condemnation of the tourist to claims Yellowstone officials responded heartlessly.
According to Jeff Olson, a spokesperson for the National Park Service in Washington, D.C., species considered common are less likely to be candidates for intervention. Further complicating the case, Kassam appears to have allegedly violated the code of federal regulations governing wildlife in national parks and forests, which prohibits “the feeding, touching, teasing, frightening or intentional disturbing of wildlife nesting, breeding or other activities.”
Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus at the University of Colorado-Boulder and a person in the vanguard of what’s called “compassionate conservation,” has been both a wildlife researcher and a leading voice in animal rights. Bekoff adheres to the nuanced view of Smith.
If wildlife officials attempted to save every animal in peril, it would be chaos, Bekoff says, and it would disrupt the function of natural ecosystems. Predators only exist by preying on other species—often the weak and the vulnerable—and a large array of scavengers also feed on carrion.
“Animals need to be free to be who they are," says Bekoff. "Death begets life in nature. I am sorry if you are born a prey species but that’s the way it is.”
The tourist in Yellowstone claimed the bison calf had been abandoned and would have become roadkill. But to the untrained eye, looks can be deceiving. In New Hampshire, the state fish and game department offers this warning to aspiring do-gooders: “Seeing a fawn (or a moose calf) alone does not mean it has been abandoned. It is normal for a doe to leave her fawn alone for several hours at a time while she is off feeding. She may not return until nightfall to nurse her fawn. This actually helps keep the fawn safe from predators.” (Read about the plight of New Hampshire's moose.)
Different states have varying protocols on whether to attempt rehab for injured animals or move immediately to euthanize.
One such licensed facility is the Montana Raptor Conservation Center in Bozeman, the largest of its kind in the state, with a service area spanning hundreds of miles.
“We approach each case on an individual basis,” says Becky Kean, director of the facility. “Our success rate, depending on the year, is between 35 and 40 percent.”
After sick or injured birds are brought in, they’re given an honest assessment, gauging the likely prospects for recovery. A lot of rehab centers have consulting veterinarians but few can do complicated surgeries, such as fixing broken wings.
For young birds lacking flight and survival skills taught by their parents, hard calls have to be made.
“If it’s at all possible to get them back up to the nest, that’s what we try to do," Kean says. "Sometimes we’ll even make an artificial nest to keep them out of harm’s way.”
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Smith recalls the day a bison calf fell into Blacktail Pond. Human onlookers pleaded to a seasonal ranger to intervene as it slowly drowned. The ranger rescued the animal even though it went against park protocol.
“There was a lot of discussion after the fact," Smith says. "The consensus was the ranger did the right thing. Standing there doing nothing would’ve hurt our credibility. Nobody’s perfect. There are inconsistencies.”
Bekoff remembers watching a documentary on Yellowstone wolves made by filmmaker Robert Landis. A woman sitting in front of him expressed indignation that one of the scenes featured a bison that had become trapped in ice and slowly dying from hypothermia before it was feasted upon by lobos.
Landis has watched several bison die that way and intervention was never a consideration.
“For me, if you’re doing a film on wolves, getting a good predation sequence is a requirement because it’s an essential part of the life-cycle you’re trying to convey,” he says.
Landis’ film “Wolf Pack” won an Emmy for best science film. He has a two-hour film coming up on the Hayden and Canyon packs, which he’s followed for 10 years. The alpha pair of the Hayden Pack got killed by members of the Mollie Pack.
The Act places the legal burden on the actual person in charge and basically aims to protect the animals from us doing them harm or abusing them and this is what many owners are unaware of. The details you need to understand.
What if people responded to disasters to help animals, but their responses created unintended negative animal welfare outcomes or unnecessary barriers for future responses?
need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns. need to be housed with, or apart, from other animals. need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease. Find out what your pet needs in our advice and welfare pages.
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Apr 9, 2013 · Follow this advice and guidance to protect animal welfare on your farm, at markets, slaughter and in transport. You’re responsible for the welfare of any animals that you own or keep.
