OCR Text |
Show WORK OR DEGENERATE Squirrels are not unlike human beings and all other animals. ani-mals. Degeneration sets in when life is made too easy for them. This fact has been especially noted by scientists of the wild-life division of the national parks service at Crater Lake National park in southwestern Oregon. There, for example, ex-ample, the golden-mantled squirrels have become gradually dependent year alter year upon nuts, cake and popcorn supplied sup-plied to them by the admiring tourist. As the result of not having to struggle for existence and being supplied with too much food, many of this beautiful species of rodents are now suffering from a complaint similar simi-lar to that suffered by human beings, known as the gout. Some may say that since they brought it on themselves, they need no sympathy. The national park service also tells a story about our bear, problem, from which our over-indulgent and well-meaning statesmen may draw a lesson. It points out that the long-established long-established custom adopted by visitoi's of giving bears handouts hand-outs has caused these clowning animals to regard all human beings as possible meal tickets. Instead of looking to their natural sources for a living many of the bears about the camping areas have become so pauperized that if the visitors do not feed, them, they hold, not an international, but inter-park inter-park meetings, a wag declares, and insist upon free eats, or down with the parks! Why free parks and free, beguiling stunts by the cubs for the visitors, they query, and not free food for the whole bear family? The bears actually cause traffic jams along the highways high-ways by holding up automobiles wrhen they are ignored in their demands. Some of these more assertive urcine creatures crea-tures break into cabins and destroy suitcases in search for food. The cause of this bear problem for which the national parks service is seeking a solution is the over-indulgence of our generous, if not curious, American people. So mote it not be to bears and our own species. v |