Disgusting Creatures

A group of people came into the visitor's center today- all high school age guys - and they hung out for quite awhile. The guy who was obviously the teacher/leader guy had been there before, and asked if Shelby was around because he had met Shelby before.

While they were hanging out, the leader guy started asking Curtis about why we couldn't shoot cattle egrets. Curtis explained to them that because they were under the Migratory Bird act, they were protected - even though they were far from endangered. The only way they could be shot is if a hunting season was made for them. The "cattle egret season" - who woulda thunk?

Anyway, the leader guy scoffs and says that definitely a season should be made for them - they're "disgusting creatures". Then he said that oft-used phrase "Rats with Wings". He complained about how "gross" they were, and likened them to starlings and grackles who were also "gross" and "disgusting creatures".

Now, far be it for me to defend these animals. I know cattle egrets are huge pests. I know all the evils of grackles and starlings (Although I feel I should point out, there are so many of them because they are very successful in doing what they do - the saying "cheaters never prosper" really doesn't apply to nature...)

And I'm not even such a bleeding heart that I don't think there should be a "cattle egret season" - population control (especially of a non-native species) is a necessity. But I see a man who is complaining about"disgusting creatures"; who generally acts disgusted and perplexed that they are even on the surface of the earth, and I take in his greasy hair underneath a nasty baseball cap, with dirty, sloppy clothes. I look at the paunch that hangs over his baggy shorts and the scraggly, sparse facial hair, and take in the slight odor of B.O. and I think, "Really? You're really gonna say that these birds are the disgusting ones?"