I’m 21 years old and I just got my driver’s license a few weeks ago. I’m kind of scared of driving and a little terrified of the highway. Sad, I know. But maybe once you hear the story in this article, you’ll be a little terrified too. Or not, it really could be my irrational fear objects that move at high speeds.
Moving right along...
Imagine this, you are riding along in your car, and suddenly you see debris coming from the truck in front of you. That is scary enough, but according to the article, when this happened to a south Florida commuter on (the dreaded) I-95, he found that it wasn’t trash or cement or wood; the driver in front of him had tossed kittens from his truck. Kittens!
Now, I don’t even like animals all that much. Kittens make my nose run and my eyes itch but this just made me realize how some people have no regard for animals. I’m taking a zoology class right now, and it’s making me appreciate just how interconnected we are with our environment and how all of our decisions have an impact on our surroundings.
I’m not saying that three dead kittens (yes, they died) are going to throw off our ecosystem, but I think it’s a good illustration of the mentality some have when it comes to animals. I mean, with the amount of effort it takes to toss a crate of kittens onto a highway, you can drive up to an animal shelter and leave them there.
Another local example is a recent decision to take the manatee off the endangered species list. The manatee is like the poster child for endangered species, and if I remember elementary school correctly, a favorite topic within our curriculum. They’ve always been afforded certain protections, ones that were in constant conflict with the marine industry in Florida, including boaters and developers. Government officials of course say that the animals will receive no less protection, but then, what was the point of making the change in the first place?
Honestly, I can count the times I’ve seen a manatee on one hand, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate what it means for a species to go extinct. And, all the threats posed to the manatees, boaters, red tide, pollution, habitat destruction, also pose threats to all of our marine environment, especially the coral reefs.
The point is, I strongly believe in using the resources that our environment provides us, and in most case I say the needs of people before all else. But, that doesn’t mean that we can’t make smarter decisions. I’m talking to you, Kitten Truck Man.
We talked about this story today in my class and that is just really sad. And part of the reason why i too do not like to drive on the highway,.
Haha, don't worry that's once in a lifetime. Life is to short to be worrying about what's going to be thrown over the highway rail. Just go fast and hopefully they'll land behind. Haha im just kidding i dont want to freak you out. But take a chance, have fun in life!
People can be so unbelievably cruel to each other and to animals. Even if this guy had some sort of half-baked reason for doing this, there's no excuse for kittencide. I just created a word there...