Break the Circle, Save the Turtles

Those of you who know us best know that we proudly display in our living room a shelf full of just about every series BBC Earth has done on DVD.  One of our more recent acquisitions was Africa.  The famous narrator of these productions, David Attenborough, is such a prevalent force in our home that we’ve taken to calling him “Uncle Dave.” We watch these documentaries when we’re cooking, doing homework, going to bed, having a lazy Sunday afternoon, etc.

One episode features the perilous plight of baby sea turtles.  Freshly hatched, these newborns spend their first waking moments making the life-and-death race across the beach to the welcoming waters.  

Compelling stuff.  Also incredibly depressing.  I have never hated birds or crabs more than when they began swooping in on the defenseless hatchlings. 

I married a big animal person.  It was one “awww” after another as one baby turtle after another was snatched into the talons of predators.  What struck me was how sad I got. 

I’m not a big animal person. 

Well,

Correction:

I’m not big on domesticated animals.

Dogs are cute, but if I ever see one trapped in a handbag I’ll snatch it, set it loose, and then shove the owner's head in said purse.  I love Where the Red Fern Grows and Old Yeller and I think that dogs should never be stuck indoors.

Cats...  I know without cats and their catty antics, youtube would be dead, but I hate them.  They don’t belong here (all housecats are European breeds) and they’re screwing up ecosystems in North America. I cling to this scientific factoid to justify my prejudices.

I think I do like animals, I just want them to stay in the wild where they belong and will best flourish.

But the weird thing is, when I saw these little guys get picked off on the beach, all I could think was:

“Screw Mufasa, break the Circle of Life and shoot those birds!” 

I was really rooting for them.  Turns out villagers near the beach actively try to protect and sustain the turtle population.  Am I just a sucker for South African turtles?  Maybe it was just the poetic injustice of new life being snatched away at its very beginning.  Maybe it's just the effects of being married to a conservation/zoology/evolutionary biology fanatic.

...or it's that they're just so cute.

What animal are you a sucker for?

(if you say cats we might have problems, you and I)

S