Leave the Rabbits Alone!

baby groundhog

I had seen some kids playing around here.  They were chasing and terrorizing wild rabbits.  I never saw them hurt any rabbits, but I saw them poking at them with sticks.  Obviously, you would be terrorized if you were being chased by giants, and you couldn't understand what they were saying or what they wanted.  They can play amongst themselves, and not be living nightmares for little wild animals.  I haven't hesitated in the past to intervene in such situations, but I regretted not saying anything the first time I saw it.  I had another chance today.  I said something, but it wasn't loud enough, so they didn't hear me.  I saw a girl throw a tennis racket at a rabbit.  The next time they came around, they heard me.  All I said was, "Leave the rabbits alone!"  And they did.  Unfortunately, it's only natural for humans to want to make life miserable for animals.  If protecting them is the right thing to do, then do it.  I certainly wouldn't have touched those kids.  All I'm willing to do is talk to them or yell at them.  Heroes of mine include Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr, both believed in non-violent resistance.
On a more positive note, I have come to realize there are at least five baby groundhogs living right next to my building.  So far, Veronica is my choice for mother of the year.  She was out grazing with one of her babies.  Suddenly, she ran toward the family hole in the ground.  That's something I've seen groundhogs do plenty of times.  This time was different.  On her way to the hole, she made several high-pitched noises with her mouth.  It was instantly obvious why she did that.  It was for the sake of her baby, who immediately followed her mother to the hole.  What was all this about?  I looked around and saw an animal I had never seen around here before: a large raccoon.  Veronica watched the raccoon carefully from her position, which was right at the hole.  It's possible she had never seen one before.  Even after the raccoon had been gone for several minutes, she continued to look around cautiously.  Her baby even helped out.  She stood on her hind legs and looked around.  I'm not sure if she even knew what she was looking for, but her intentions were good.  Baby groundhogs are among the cutest animals I've ever seen.               

Animals Improve Life

Look at that foot.

Animals improve life, so we should treat them well and not murder them.   It wasn't a human that cheered me up today.  When I was watching a groundhog eat, then she stood on her hind legs to look around, I chuckled.  When I saw rabbits chasing each other, since I assumed (hoped) it was playful rather than aggressive, it also delighted me.
I wish I could have a pet.  Where I live right now, they aren't allowed, but there are more reasons than that for me to not have one.  I love dogs and cats so much.  I think it's a shame when cats never get to  go outside, though.  Neither should people let their cats go totally footloose and fancy free, because they are predators, and they're liable to kill mice and birds for no good reason.  If I had a cat, I believe I would walk him or her on a leash if he or she didn't mind it.  I don't live my life in fear.  I'm not afraid of death, so why should I be afraid of anything else?  If someone wants to make fun of me because I'm walking a cat, they can go to hell.  I don't care about them or what they think of me or anything.  If you're a guy, and you're worried that you're not appearing macho enough, then how manly are you really?  It's the real manly guy who doesn't care what other people say or think, but if someone crosses the line and touches him (or his pet), when he has no business doing so, he will be ready to strike.
I really feel like I have nothing to lose.  I'm not a rock star, movie star, or highly-paid athlete, therefore I'm not very happy about my life.  I don't fear death.  I'm thinking, more and more, I shouldn't take ANY crap.  If somone feels the need to attack me in any way, why shouldn't I reciprocate in a similar fashion?
Of course, there is violence, intimidation, and bullying in the animal world.  It's just the way it is.  This is an angry world.  That's why I'm glad I've never brought anyone into it.  This place is way too violent, vulgar, and vile for my kids.
I'm on a mission to try to help animals as long as I live.  It's the best reason for living I've been able to come up with.   

The Face of Evil

How could a grown man try to hurt little babies like these?

Evil lurks behind many different faces.  I saw one this week.  Fortunately, I happened to be looking out my bedroom window as an elderly man walked across the grass toward the groundhog hole/home that's right next to the building I live in.  I suppose he saw the groundhogs frantically scamper into their home once they saw him coming.  He began by making a sudden move to frighten them.  Then he picked up rocks and began throwing them at point blank range into the hole at the baby groundhogs: not on my freaking watch.
"What are you doing?"  I yelled out the window to him.
He stopped throwing rocks and looked around to see who said that.  He saw me at the window.  He seemed guilty; like he'd been busted.  He smiled and said something that I didn't entirely catch, but I think he said something about how they damage the ground or some such garbage.  They're on this Earth, so they obviously belong here, and they have the right to live here in whatever way they see fit.
My adrenaline was pumping, so I don't remember if I told him to leave the animals alone.  I think I did, but my memory is a little fuzzy.  This guy's cruelty blew me away.  I think he's just a bully.  Now he's old and feeble, so he can't bully someone like me, so instead he terrorizes some baby groundhogs.  What's even worse about it is there's at least one bully among the babies.  One time, I watched from my window as a baby groundhog kept trying to get into the hole, but it seemed like at least one of the babies wasn't letting her enter.  So it's possible that one or more of the babies was having trouble getting to safety while this coward was throwing rocks at them.
Today, I heard a bunch of kids running around.  They were chasing and terrorizing rabbits.  I didn't like it, but as long as they were just chasing them, I'd figured I'd stay out of it.  When I saw that the largest of the kids was throwing rocks at a rabbit, I knew it was time to intervene.  I went downstairs and walked toward the kids.  They noticed.me.
"Don't hurt any animals," I said to them.  "Don't throw anything at them."
The largest boy said, "Okay."  So I went back inside.
I realize I can get into a lot of trouble, but I don't want to passively watch as people try to hurt animals.  I'm against fighting; it's stupid.  But if I see someone beating an animal, my plan is to tell them to stop.  And if they don't stop, I might have to take action.  And in such a situation, it's highly likely that I would be the one in trouble with the police.  But our legal system exists mostly to protect people: not animals.  Pets have some rights, though they are obviously abused on a massive scale.  Wild animals and "food" animals like pigs, cows, and chickens have very little in the way of rights.  And all I'm really referring to is the right to not be beaten, tortured, and killed.      

Bullying

Sheila attacking one of her babies.

Cute little animals have been bullied around here, and I don't like it.  Sheila has attacked her own groundhog children at least twice.  She made one of them cry.  I love Sheila; I can't help it.  She's my first groundhog love.  I loved her before I realized she was living in a hole right next to the building I live in.  After it was confirmed that we were neighbors, I loved her even more.  Then she brought her three babies into my life.  I tell myself there's a reason why she's attacked her own young.  She's just trying to toughen them up.  One of them scampered up to her mommy to say "hi," and this led directly to one of the attacks.  Maybe Sheila's trying to teach them that you have to have your guard up when you're out of the family hole; it's a tough world out there.
The birds are the worst.  One day I saw two baby groundhogs near each other; they were both eating grass.  A black bird pecked one of them in the butt.  The poor baby groundhog stopped eating grass abruptly.  She looked surprised.  It seemed like she was too scared to turn around to see what had happened.  Then she went back to eating grass.  That bird did the same thing to the other baby groundhog, who reacted the exact same way her sister did.  I was angry at this bird, but I also thought it was a little funny.  I don't think it's funny at all anymore.  Another day, I watched a bird peck one of the sisters repeatedly.  The poor thing didn't fight back at all.  It's frustrating, because the groundhogs are definitely bigger than these birds, so they shouldn't be taking any crap from them.  I hate seeing groundhogs being bullied.  What was this bird's problem?  Why was she attacking her instead of foraging for food?  Why is there so much aggression in this world?  Even the toughest of the groundhogs around here, Sheila, has been bullied by birds.  I've seen birds pecking groundhogs plenty of times now, but I've never seen one fight back against the feathered fiends.
I've decided to take matters into my own hands.  If I see birds bullying groundhogs, I will yell "Fight back!" out the window.  I'm not expecting them to fight back against the birds when I do that, but it will probably scare the groundhog, which would cause her to run for cover, which would, temporarily at least, put an end to the bullying.
What's really disturbing is the patches of fur that are missing from one of the sisters.  I can only conclude that she has been bitten where the fur is missing.  And I can't help suspecting that Sheila is responsible.
I think the heat is a factor.  The first time I saw baby groundhogs being bullied was on a very hot day.  In addition to that craziness, I saw a rabbit threaten a couple of squirrels.  One of the squirrels got into a standoff with the rabbit; she laid her tail on her back completely, which is something I'd never seen before.
Speaking of rabbits, it's strange that groundhogs, even babies, seem to not be afraid of them.  I've seen groundhogs intimidate rabbits at least twice.  The rabbits are larger than the birds who bully them.  I suppose it's true what they say; size isn't everything.  

Baby Groundhogs

What a cutie!  I think that's grass in her mouth.

I'm lucky enough to be living right next to a hole where a mother groundhog lives with her three babies.  They are all very cute.  A wild-eyed rabbit approached a baby groundhog curiously, a little too close for the baby groundhog evidently.  The baby groundhog sprinted at the rabbit: scaring her off.  That's a pretty tough baby groundhog.  I was in a band called Baby Groundhog; we sucked. 
I think that the scrawny groundhog around here impregnated the zaftig mother, she had the babies, then she was done with him.  I saw her chase him away.  She might have been saying, "Don't eat this grass!  This is for my baby groundhogs!"
The babies are afraid of everything: with good reason.  I think I saw the mother chase one of her babies.  Perhaps she went out without her mother's permission.  The mother knows which sights and sounds to fear from experience that the baby groundhogs do not have yet.  So many a sound will cause a baby groundhog to run toward the comfort of the hole where she's being raised.
Speaking of holes, I recall the first time I realized where the mother groundhog lived.  I surprised her by emerging from an area where not very many people walk around.  She sprinted, like her life depended on it, toward the building in which I live.  Where is she going, I was thinking.  She dove into a hole; then her head popped out of it.  She was so cute that I couldn't help smiling and waving at her, but I don't think she liked that.  I think she wanted to be invisible to me, because the giants frighten her.
Groundhogs are beautiful animals, and, as far as I can tell, and I 'm no Jacques Cousteau, they seem to be very quiet too.  Not like the birds they share grazing duty with.  Even though noise is noise, I prefer loud birds to loud humans.
By the way, I've been listening to Paul Davis, and he is awesome.  What a syrupy-smooth voice.  Now I'm listening to Gloria Estefan's greatest hits.  I'm being assaulted by the Conga.  This music would be better if she was dancing to it right in front of me.  Wootay!
What else can I say about groundhogs?  They're a credit to the community.  They are rising property values.  They should get into politics; they've got my vote.  The least-qualified groundhog would still do a better job than G.W. Bush did.  But what if he turned out to be a Hitler Groundhog?  That's a scary thought.  I guess it's best to take it slow.  Animals don't yet have the right to vote, and maybe they don't need it.
I have achieved many involuntary erections as a result of petting dogs.  They were completely involuntary; I want to stress that emphatically.  I have never touched the sex organs of an animal intentionally.  I have accidentally during innocent petting.  I also have never rubbed my sex organs on an animal.  Innocent petting can cause an erection, I believe, just cause it feels good to pet something soft and furry.  Perhaps the sexual subconscious recognizes that the body is in close proximity to another sexual being in the sexual world.
But the question that must be asked is Would petting a groundhog give me a boner?

I Love Animals

Bumpkin with her mama, Sheila (standing)

I really do.  I like animals more than people.  An animal has never insulted me.  An animal has never taken my job away from me.  An animal has never treated me in a condescending way.  I have had problems with depression, but it always cheers me up to look out my window and see a groundhog.  It's hard to feel like shit when I'm looking at a chubby little groundhog nibbling on grass.  Today I looked out my window, and right in front of me, a robin, who was perched on a telephone wire, took a dump.  "Thanks," I said.  "Right before I eat breakfast."
I like them all.  Mice are cute.  So are birds.  I love to look out my window and see rabbits.  It's very sad that someone would look at a rabbit and want to hurt or kill her.  I can only assume that such a person is evil.  The other day, I watched a rabbit approach a particularly bushy clump of grass.  Then she pawed at it with her front legs.  She moved both of them in a circular motion.  I have no idea why she did that, but it was very cute.
I like watching robins too.  They stand with their head up high, then they duck down, walk briskly for several steps and stop.  The head will pop back up again, and it will all be repeated. 
The love I feel for all animals is so strong.  I don't understand why so many people don't feel the same way.