Wildlife

This is a picture I just took while out for a drive today just a few minutes ago, it is a very common sight around here and one I thought I would share.  She sweetly stopped and looked while I jumped out of the car to take the picture.  On any given day I will see around 10 deer while out for a short drive to the store or whatever.  I'm not kidding!  They are everywhere!!!  And fairly tame too, a lot of people leave food out in their yard, especially in winter, for them to nibble on while the food is a little scarce.  There is much discussion among the islanders about whether or not this is a good idea.  Some say that people should not feed them as it will keep them hanging around the houses instead of foraging more up in the less populated hills and that they are more in danger from becoming too dependant on people instead of their own resources.  Others feel that they need a little extra help during the winter months.  Hard to say really.  Another issue that is discussed is whether or not to 'cull' the deer or allow hunting at certain times of the year.  They say they are way over populated, unnaturally so as there are no natural predators on the island, and that something has to be done.  They are on the road a lot and get into people's gardens so much that they need to erect very tall fortress-like fences in order to keep the deer from eating everything in the garden.  Almost nothing is safe.  On a neighbouring island there are a different breed of deer which are even more aggressive, knocking down fences and absolutely ruining even fairly large farms.  To me, the average newcomer or visitor, they are just sweet and charming and so nice to have around.  This is what happens when you become a resident.  You have to be more considerate of the real life consequences of things.  This isn't just a pastoral scenic vacation spot anymore, its real life.  Learning more everyday.

Hope