Many,
we have as pets..repaying them with love, a home and enjoyment.
Others we use for various 'services (jobs)' including entertainment
for other humans who pay admission fees.
Horses
were used in wars by soldiers in combat; today, used frequently as
'control' measures in crowd events. They are ridden by equestrians in
show-jumping competitions...or simply 'pleasure ridden'. They were
useful for pulling farm machinery or for the carriages of elite
persons. Some are trained for 'chuck-wagon races' at the many fall
fairs.
Camels
were ridden by the 'Wise Men' who following the 'Star in the East'
paid tribute to Baby Jesus. They are a 'transportation vehicle' for
travellers crossing deserts.
Circus
Animals:
Lions, tigers, seals, elephants...entertain families under “The
Big Tent”.
Dogs:
Scent and rescue dogs, highly trained, are at work in airports,
border crossings and work with police forces in locating criminals
and missing persons. In times of disasters...tsunamis, earthquakes
and tornadoes...dogs with their owners, search for humans who have
been caught. Sled dogs (mainly huskies) provide Arctic
transportation for the Inuits (Eskimos) and for humans like us,
outdoor winter entertainment in the North ~ these dog teams thrill at
the opportunity 'to run' which is in their blood!
Navy
Seals assist
soldiers during war and other crises to the country...marine animals
such as dolphins, the bottlenose and California sea lions work for
the American navy.
Donkeys
in some world countries are used daily...ploughing, carrying food,
firewood, water & riding.
Reindeer
are often used for transportation; they can adapt to cold climates.
The herding of reindeer is practised by peoples of the Scandinavian
countries, Russia and northern Canada.
Elephants
can lift heavy loads, using their trunks. They are proven to be the
most intelligent mammal and have good memory power for many years.
Goats,
we breed for their milk and cheese. On an over-Christmas Caribbean
cruise, my son, home from University, asked the waiter where they
kept the cows on board for the milk offered at meals. He responded,
“Not cows, they are goats that we have on board.”
Cows
are the mainstay of our milk production. And of course, beef appears
on restaurant menus.
Birds
(canaries, parakeets) are house companions. When my father died in
November 1962, we bought my mother a yellow canary, bird cage and
accessories at Christmas to keep her happily engaged.
Have you heard of birds being employed to deter other species?
The following article appeared recently in news media.
Warrior
Hawk...Xena Goes Missing
and
'Boss' is in a Bit of a Flutter!
(written by Carmela Fragomeni ~ The Hamilton Spectator)
Xena the warrior hawk has flown the coop, but owner, Rob Wernaart
hopes she's had her fill of wanderlust and is ready to come home.
It's time for her to return to work as a top 'gull harasser,'
controlling birds at landfills, commercial properties and shopping
malls. It's what she's been trained to do: scare those pesky gulls
away!
Wernaart says he gave her the winter off. “She's on vacation.”
But he figured she'd stick around her Freelton home and not fly off
to who knows where. Xena 2 went missing a week ago when she didn't
come home for her usual meals.
Wernaart's pretty sure she's hunting her own food now, but he
still needs her ~ not just because she's an 'employee' of his
Flamborough Bird and Wildlife business, but also because she is his
pet.
“She's
Xena, my little warrior princess.”
Wernaart says losing her is like losing a pet dog.
“It's
really heart breaking ~ I do bring her inside and talk to her
and we have that great bonding.”
Xena has a leash attached to each leg so she can be grabbed to be
fed and trained. She also has a bell on her right leg. But, he
cautions, “I wouldn't suggest anyone touch her because her talons
are pretty sharp.” He is asking anyone who sees her to contact him
so he can “go down with food and my glove and, hopefully, she'll
come down to me.” He can be reached at 905-818-6793 or via email
at
Wernaart, his father and brother are all in the business of
training hawks
and other birds to control nuisance birds such as gulls.
Xena is Wernaart's second hawk. Before her, he was given one to
train and return to its owner. That trained hawk was 'Bitchy' who
now works at controlling birds at BMO Field in Toronto.
Animal Wisdom
What a lonely species we are....searching for signals of life from
galaxies,
adopting companion animals, visiting parks and zoos to converse with
other beasts.
In the process, we discover our shared identity.
(Diane Ackerman)
Merle Baird-Kerr...compiled April 12, 2015
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