Documentaries about the great African savanna often show a pride of lions creeping through the bush, ready to ambush an unwary springbok. The little antelope is usually getting a drink from a river while dozens of others stand around, seemingly unaware of the pending threat. Then comes the sudden rush, a charge so fast and so vicious that the final chapter is finished before it’s been written.
This is predation: A drama that’s been playing out for billions of years and across billions of species, a production in which humans have taken many roles. We’ve played the parts of being that stealthy lion, the careless springbok and as a scavenger fighting for scraps.
As humans developed agricultural skills and began domesticating animals for use as food, company and labor, something began to change in our psyche. We no longer saw ourselves as actors on that stage, but rather as the director of nature’s production.
We also developed a case of anthropomorphism — and possibly a bit of an overstated ego, which has never left us. This -ism has taken many roots in our lives: The Disney movies of our youth; the folklore of werewolves stalking the night; giant sharks and orca whales bent on revenge or murder; and talking to our pets like they know exactly what we’re saying. Put simply, anthropomorphism involves giving human personality, conduct, cognition or emotions to animals — or even some non-living things (this darn computer hates me!).
Before you get too excited and toss me to that pride of lions, I’ll let you in on a little secret. Most of us suffer this -ism in some form; our mind seems to be programmed that way. So, yes, Bramble the cocker spaniel knows all my secrets, sometimes wears a Buckeye hat for a photo op and probably knows the PIN code to the debit card. So, feel free to talk to Tabby and watch movies with Rex; I get it, but I’m not here to talk strictly about anthropomorphism — let’s get back to predation.
The human presence in the world and our growing skills and needs began to clash with the animals that were part of everyday life. We perceived that many animals began holding more adversarial roles in the great scheme, not just predators. For a quick example, the fox raiding the henhouse is a predation problem, but an herbaceous-loving woodchuck chomping soybeans is a different kind of issue. It wasn’t long before humans began categorizing animals as “good” and “bad” — but there is no Big Bad Wolf in nature.
The fact is, humans have been competing with other animals since our first footprint was left in the mud. Today, far fewer large predators roam the earth because of their generally perceived incompatibility with how we believe our world should function. Human encroachment into areas where they thrived turned into a limiting factor on where they would be tolerated, but that goes two ways. Many of those meat-eaters cannot readily adapt to the presence of humans, even if little is being done to reduce their numbers. Some species can’t abide what they see as the threatening presence of a large upright predator competing with their ability to survive.
Predation is nothing more than animals trying to make a living while using the skills with which they were endowed. Generally, they hunt for the biggest bang for their buck. That translates into the highest value food while expending the least amount of risk and energy. They’re also experts at being opportunists. For example, a red-tailed hawk kills a lot of voles and meadow mice. That prey (often referred to as a buffer species) is abundant and widespread, and most people are happy to see the population trimmed. While hunting those rodents, if a young rabbit hops out into the open and falls under the hawk’s keen eyesight, the menu may include hasenpfeffer. By the way, wildlife ecologists view that bunny as a buffer species, too.
Sometimes, predation follows a predictable pattern. Migrations of lemmings, caribou, salmon and the elevational and seasonal migrations of elk, mule deer and antelope also draw the seasonal interest of predators and scavengers. They’ll arrive on these migratory routes to look for a high-value meal. The first to be preyed upon relates directly to predation’s basic premise – the most bang for the buck. Injured, old, young, stragglers, and the careless are especially at risk. Think of that the next time a telemarketer calls.
I imagine that you’re wondering, “But, what about the shows I’ve seen of wolves confronting grizzly bears?” That same dynamic often plays out when two kids have trouble sharing – it’s an “I have” and an “I want” situation. If old grizz is feeding on an animal he was fortunate enough to outsmart, and a pack of wolves gets the scent, a confrontation may occur. Notice I said a pack. A single wolf may try to worry a bear into backing off, but it’s more likely to wait its turn. A group of wolves may use their numbers to try to drive the bear away. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Other than mating and territorial disputes, you’ll seldom encounter large predators hunting other large predators apart from the most extreme circumstances, especially predators of the same species — there is an exception, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
Those who believe we should kill more predators — as well as those who want to reintroduce those that were once found in a particular region — often toss about the term “balance of nature” and how it should be allowed to function in its own way. They make it sound like a delicate ball resting upon the pinnacle of the pyramid of life, and that touching it might make it fall.
Anyone who studies wildlife biology knows that the balancing ball has been rolling up and down that pyramid since time began. That claimed balance is never going to be static; it’s a dynamic imbalance that’s constantly adjusting to change – changes that may be influenced or disrupted by both natural events and human actions (forest fires, timber cutting/planting, drought, over and under hunting, floods, dam construction and removal, pollution, agriculture, wetland restoration and drainage, too much rain, too little rain, etc.).
Predation is part of nature — when prey numbers rise, predators increase, which then reduces prey numbers, allowing predators to decline and prey to recover. Those fluctuations can be influenced by habitat and prey mobility. If habitat is limited, a species possessing the ability to cover a greater range (area that it lives) has a survival advantage. Predator numbers may also fluctuate due to the availability of alternative food sources.
Whitetail deer are quite mobile, able to travel miles to suitable food, water, shelter and living space (habitat). Other species, such as non-migrating birds, reptiles and most smaller species are locked into their living quarters. Rather than individual movement over great distances, they expand their range like a game of leapfrog; expanding/multiplying within its existing habitat and occupying suitable areas around the perimeter. In their case, the connectivity of suitable habitat becomes extremely important. Predation can also be more of a factor in “locked-in” populations.
Back to the exception I alluded to earlier — you’ve probably guessed that it’s man. Because of our large brain and ability to solve problems, we’ve figured out ways to confront predators while reducing risk. When used properly, these skills help to move that ball around that pyramid a bit, relieving pressure on some prey species that we decide are more beneficial. We’re also able to knock off a few of those crop-raiding woodchucks and deer — though it’s good to remember that other predators are giving us a hand with that chore.
Hunting, trapping, habitat manipulation and restoration remain the primary tools in ensuring the future of wildlife – and its funding base. It should be no shock that good habitat may yield increased predation due to expanding prey species populations. You can’t have one without the other. Attempts to remove all predators risks overpopulation, which carries its own sour rewards of habitat destruction and disease.
Removing both predator and prey animals should be seen as an augmentation of what is occurring naturally and as harvesting a renewable crop to better protect their home. Habitat will always be the most important and controlling factor in nature.
“Because the caterpillar exists, there exists also a bird to eat it.”
— Vietnamese Proverb
