Refuge Wildlife Officers Fight
Myths about
Creepy Crawlies and Other Wildlife
It’s not
just snakes. Other wild creatures inspire exaggerated fears, too: bats; spiders;
birds; fish – yes, fish.
 |
| Who wants to touch a fish? Activity provided by Texas Parks & Wildlife at Hagerman NWR. (File photo) |
In the
course of greeting tens of thousands of visitors a year, staff on national
wildlife refuges bump up against many such bugbears. They know which
natural–world denizens invariably make some people flinch or go ewww.
One
thing they've noticed: Whether it’s because today’s visitors tend to live more indoor
lives than past generations or watch too many TV survival shows, fears of
nature are flourishing -- in all ages.
“We’re
seeing more kids sheltered and afraid,” says Ashley Inslee, a biologist at
Bosque del Apache Refuge in New Mexico. “Even college kids interested in
conservation haven’t been out hunting, fishing, hiking. They've seen TV shows
or National Geographic and think being outdoors is cool, but it can be uncomfortable at first.”
Note: At Hagerman NWR a few grade-schoolers have shown
reluctance to “go into the woods” on trail walks during school visits.
Different tactics are called for at
Florida’s J.N. “Ding” Darling Refuge, where gators are star attractions. “There
should be a natural fear we have of
them, and they of us; it’s a good thing to be fearful of a large predator like
an alligator,” says supervisory refuge ranger Toni Westland. But she puts
visitors’ fears in perspective. “We tell them we’re not going to have
alligators jumping out of bushes. It’s safe. But it’s only safe because we
respect wild animals and don’t feed them.”
Some visitors want to beat back old
fears. Mary Stumpp signed on this winter as a volunteer at crane-filled Bosque
del Apache Refuge — an odd choice for someone with a lifelong fear of birds. Her
task: using a tractor to mow corn for feeding sandhill cranes. Slowly, she grew accustomed to seeing
flocks overhead. Writes Stumpp, “I began to see the cranes not as a
threat but as beautiful creatures. To my surprise, I began to care about them…”
To help anxious visitors, refuge
staffers share some proven tactics:
Admit fears of their own. Visitors may
be surprised to hear refuge staffers aren't all fearless. Bosque del Apache
Refuge’s deputy manager Aaron Mize owns up to a fear of heights and snakes.
Find out what they know. At Patuxent Refuge, staff meets
students on familiar turf before a refuge visit, and throws softball questions:
“Do you spend any time outside? What’s your favorite animal?” Staff also
invites students to confide fears in writing so they are not embarrassed in
front of classmates.
Don’t dissemble. To a child nervous about snakes, you
might try: ‘There are snakes here, but
we almost never see any. That’s because they’re shy, and they can feel the ground
tremble, and they go and hide when they hear people coming.’
Educate about
feeding a wild animal.
Remind people that wildlife loses their
fear of humans if regularly fed by visitors.
And tell them never to challenge wildlife.
Let
kids adjust at their own pace. Let young people decide if they want to touch a live
frog or snake. Respect youngsters’ rights to say “no”. Some refuge staff appoint an anxious young
visitor to become their assistant for a day.
Show enthusiasm. Students see that you’re not
afraid and they respond. When a
youngster sees salamanders and turtles and responds, ‘Oh gross,’ that’s your
chance to say, ‘No, they’re so cool,”
and explain why.
Thanks to Friends NewsWire for this week's blog!
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