At some point, those who have worked in the wild actually begin to
believe in their own invulnerability. We take chances we shouldn't
when the camera is (or isn't) rolling just to demonstrate what we
come to believe is some super connection to the wild natural - a
state most of us have little or no clew about despite all the bravado.
Problem is that the wild natural critters - large or microscopic -
don't much care about the human sense of the world. They've clearly
got their own agendae as Timothy Treadwell (Grizzly Man), Jane
Goodall (who got badly beaten up and nearly killed by one of her most
habituated chimps, Frodo, while we were on site at Gombe recording in
the early 90s), Dian Fossey (who didn't get iced by one of her
beloved gorillas but as an indirect result of them, nontheless), and
many other field researchers who have taken one chance too many and
discovered too late the folly of their decision(s).
Humans, no matter how we choose to characterize ourselves, are both
predator and prey, and that condition is skewed not in our favor
every time we meet the world unprepared psychologically and
emotionally. In the forty years I've been working in the field, I've
come within a hair's breath of oblivion on three occasions - once in
the Arctic, once in the Antarctic, and once in Rwanda and god knows
how many others I'm not aware of. Three lessons learned: Avoid
arrogance, stupidity, and always remain aware of your surroundings.
Bernie Krause
--
Wild Sanctuary
P. O. Box 536
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
t. 707-996-6677
f. 707-996-0280
http://www.wildsanctuary.com
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