Talk of the Town

Man, more destructiv­e than shark or eagle

- Roy Hewett

One of Man’s eternally horrendous crimes against nature, that places him at the pinnacle of the destroyers of Planet Earth, is our seemingly total disdain for our wonderful flora and fauna ... historical­ly and currently. Of course there are admirable exceptions –

conservati­onists, animal lovers, botanists and nature activists –

who tirelessly educate, protest and do their best to protect the priceless gift of life on Earth. But scientific research and irrefutabl­e evidence indicate that life is losing the battle against the ecological and environmen­tal sins of Man.

The heartbreak­ingly sad and awful reality is that Man “... has caused the loss of 83% of all wild mammals and half of plants…” –

Damian Carrington, environmen­t editor of The Guardian.

Will there be any end to this outrageous legacy of our species, or will greed, power and the myopic plundering of natural resources that sustain animal life continue unabated?

However, rather than focusing on the shameful legacy of humankind on our planet, this piece aims to celebrate two exceptiona­l apex members of the vast range of impressive species of the animal world. Do the eagle and the shark have any equals for beauty, grace, awesome efficiency and respect in their different worlds?

Can any sea creature compete with the shark for food chain dominance, or bird of prey challenge the eagle for sky superiorit­y?

Their unrivalled power, skills and mobility are envied by competitor­s in their realms.

Of course when people don’t understand creatures, or they have been misled and influenced by films, sketchy news and selective reading, fear is the default reaction and attitude born out of ignorance.

Ted Danson summed it up: “Many people continue to think of sharks as maneating beasts. Sharks are enormously powerful creatures, but you’re more likely to be killed by your kitchen toaster than a shark!”

As indicators of the condition of our lifesustai­ning seas, sharks play a pivotal role too: “Sharks are beautiful animals, and if you’re lucky enough to see lots of them, that means that you’re in a healthy ocean. You should be afraid if you are in the ocean and don’t see sharks.”– Sylvia Earle

Majestic in flight and resilient, focused and alert beyond all creatures of the air, the eagle is also a powerful metaphor in inspiratio­nal and motivation­al thinking and literature. Jack White captures this in an observatio­n about challenges: “The Eagle does not escape the storm. The Eagle simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It spreads its mighty wings and rises on the winds that bring the storm.”

The eagle’s indisputab­le apex position in the hierarchy of the bird kingdom is reflected in: “Every bird of prey looks over its shoulder before it goes in for the kill, even a hawk. Even they know to watch their backs every single one but an eagle. It’s fearless. Michelle Horst, Wake Me Up

Not surprising­ly, tributes to the considerab­le role played by eagles in life on our planet abound in poetry of the top order. Alfred Lord Tennyson’s contributi­on captures the essence:

“He clasps the crag with crooked hands;

Close to the sun in lonely lands,

Ringed with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;

He watches from his mountain walls,

And like a thunderbol­t he falls.”

Will those magnificen­t creatures of the oceans and the sky survive the destructiv­e actions of the most ecological­ly and environmen­tally threatenin­g being of all?

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