In the never-ending parade of tourists acting badly, a woman at Cape Lookout National Seashore in North Carolina walked up and stood by a wild horse with her hand on the animal as she posed for a photo.
It didn’t end well.
“The horse communicated its annoyance and kicked the woman,” Cape Lookout National Seashore reported on Facebook.
The national seashore reported that these visitors were cited for wildlife harassment. It posted an image of the infraction with the woman’s head blocked out.
“Why block out her face?” one commenter on Facebook stated. “She deserves to be seen. It should be part of the penalty.”
Another commenter answered, “That’s how she really looks – she’s a blockhead.”
Most of the commenters were not kind to the woman, castigating the actions and saying she deserved being kicked.
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“Ridiculous,” one wrote. “Do people think the banks are petting zoos?”
“What is wrong with people?!?” another wrote. “She would probably get too close to the bison in Yellowstone too! Glad she was charged and ticketed!”
The incident occurred last week. Just three weeks before, Cape Lookout National Seashore posted photo tips on Facebook, stating, “Taking a photo of our wild horses on Shackleford Banks should be done with caution. They are wild after all, and they will take action to protect themselves, their foal or their mares from what they perceive as dangerous actions by humans. For this reason, those taking photos should be about one bus length away from the horses and use a telephoto or zoom lens to take the picture.”
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
