Fate of the Animals

The History Channel's documentary, "Life After People", gives viewers an idea of what might happen to our world if humans suddenly disappeared -- forever. I find this sort of thing fascinating, so much so that I based my fantasy books Key to Aten and Return to Aten on just such a premise. Of course, in my books, some humans did survive -- the reading would have been terribly dull without a few people sprinkled about.

Back to the documentary:

If you get a chance, do watch it. It's a bit frightening to discover how nature would cover up all traces of our existence, and interesting to know the fate of the animals.

Updates

Just some updates on previous posts:

1) Was downtown yesterday, and saw that the hawk silhouettes are still on the Stock Exchange windows. It's been about 20 years since I wrote that letter, so that's kind of cool.

2) My friend, Carolyn, has an update on the dog she found during the California fires. You can read all about it here (plus some great pics).

3) Still searching for the perfect wide-enough-for-whiskers bowl.

4) Have only written 4,200 words on my WIP. Since I'd like to write 1,000 each day this month, I appear to running behind. I was having trouble getting into my lackluster characters, but had an "aha" moment on the train yesterday. Hopefully, I'll be able to run with it.


Picture from Public Domain Pictures.net

What About the Animals?

Families evacuated, homes lost, and forests destroyed--the fires continue their terrifying assault on California. Of course, I worry about the people living there, and the firefighters who work so hard and in such dangerous conditions, but whenever I hear about these disasters, I always wonder, What about the animals?

For pet owners, many shelters have been set up to ease the burden caused by the evacuation. A friend, a California resident, rescued a dog she found wandering alone in a park. She told me about another abandoned pet that was taken to the vet, only to have it discovered that the sickly pit bull puppy suffered from Canine Parvovirus (PARVO), a potentially deadly disease.

And what about wildlife? Lizards, snakes and rodents burrow underground, so are relatively safe. Birds, unless nesting, easily fly from the fires. Larger animals, such as foxes, deer and bears, are at greater risk since their only means of escape is by running away which, depending on the fire's speed, is not always successful.

For those animals who do make it, surviving the fire's aftermath is the next hurdle. Intense fires cause the loss of vital topsoil needed for regrowth, and destroy seeds. Fire suspension methods, such as bulldozing, can alter the landscape and contaminate the soil.

Is there anything you can do to help wildlife after a fire? Here are a few tips from Douglas D. McCreary, Natural Resources Specialist, University of California:

Build and install nest boxes.
Retain some down and dead large woody material for amphibians and reptiles.
Provide clean water in shallow containers for animals moving through your property.

It's all so much doom and gloom, but I was able to find one bit of good news: The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) reminds hunters that wild fires can alter hunting plans. Fire restrictions can limit a big game tag holder’s access in certain zones depending on conditions. So put away your guns, boys.