Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Coyote Breakfast

Robert G. Ingersoll, "The Great Agnostic" and renowned orator of the 19th Century, wrote these words in 1872, regarding the so-called merciful design of creation by God:
Who can appreciate the mercy of so making the world that all animals devour animals; so that every mouth is a slaughter house, and every stomach a tomb?

On the way to the office this morning, I saw an example of the food chain of which Ingersoll wrote. A coyote was standing across the street from the prairie dog town where I shot the photo a couple of posts down the page. All of a sudden, he darted across the street, and was chasing a prairie dog back and forth, trying to have the little creature for breakfast. I very much wished that I had the speed and position to capture the episode in photo or video, but as it all happened within a few short seconds, there was no opportunity. I didn't even get to see if the prairie dog escaped to live another day, or if he was eaten by the hungry young coyote. Sad indeed it is that life must consume life to sustain itself. Yet that is the way of life on earth, and for every predator there is another lifeform for which it is prey.

It is good to be at the top of the food chain. I definitely want to stay there!