Coyotes (True Story)

The western part of the U.S. state of Washington is surrounded by mountains and seas, with abundant grass and forests, abundant rainfall, and a mild climate, which is the gift of creation and the home of human beings and all things. But every step of the evolution of human civilization has come at a great cost, causing conflicts between man and nature. For people and the environment, this can be described as mixed joys and sorrows, resulting in many colorful and thought-provoking stories.

And listen to me tell a real story about the American coyote Coyote.

About twenty years ago, because of my work, I met a friend of half Indian descent, Senty. Senty works on the ferry, receiving passengers and commuting daily from the small coastal town of Anacettes to Fred Island, leaving early and returning late, which is very hard. She was a Hollywood singer and dancer in her early years, participating in several films. Nowadays, people are old and yellow, and their figure is bloated, but looking at her face carefully, you can still faintly see the style of that year, and the vicissitudes of the years cannot hide the amazing beauty of the past.

Senty's husband died early, and the eldest son inherited her artistic genes as a stuntman in Hollywood. I've seen pictures of him, a muscular, handsome, and wildly beautiful man. Aside from an annual Christmas card, he had little contact with his mother, and in Senty's words, "he lived a tense and debauched 'Hollywood' style." As for his future, "If he retires with an injury while filming the difficult thrilling action in the film, it's lucky." Senty said worriedly. Her daughter Nancy is very good-looking and is the jewel in the palm of Senty's hand. Her picture was in her mother's purse, and I've seen it too. Unfortunately, at the age of 26, she died in a car accident. In this way, Senty was alone in her old age, living alone in a lonely house at the foot of Mount Cathcart. During the day she went to work and gave the home to her dog, "Braque". When she returned in the evening, "Braque" lay at her feet and slept with her.

"Braque" is a black dog, mighty, loyal, and powerful. But he is thick by nature and a little silly.

Senti's house is surrounded by lush forests and a beautiful environment. The only thing to worry about is security. But she didn't think so. For some reason, the native Americans I know are bold.

Senty said that one day in the middle of the night, an uninvited guest came. Someone was quietly twisting the handle of her front door. The door was naturally locked. The slight noise alarmed one person and one dog in the room. Senty reached for the pistol under her pillow, and "Braque" jumped from the bed and pounced on the front door, a startling roar in his throat. The comers slipped away. The night was quiet again.

What really worried Senti was the coyotes around her home. This animal, which looks like a dog, is slightly smaller than a dog, but is smarter and cunning than a dog, is the real owner of this mountain forest. They are in groups of three or five, haunted, usually eating garbage and small animals such as chickens, cats, and puppies, and often patronizing people's courtyards in search of food. But in most cases, they do not actively attack adults, but hide and slip when they see people. They are mentally afraid of humans.

As for big dogs like "Braque", the coyotes actively avoid their sharp edges and stay away.

"But 'Braque' is too stupid. No heart. Empty of strength. I'm worried about it. Senty said.

One day, Senty was off work, and "Braque" didn't come out to greet his master as usual. There is no sign of it in the house. A night passed, and "Braque" did not come home. A week has passed, and "Braque" is still like a yellow crane. So Senty took a gun and went to the nearby forest to find it. Sure enough, as she expected, the big dog "Braque" died. It was poisoned by coyotes. Its body was gone, eaten, and there was only the head of a dog on the grass. Senty brought back the dog's head and buried it in the yard.

How could "Braque" be poisoned by a coyote? I don't understand. "Such a mighty big dog, don't say it's a coyote, it's two or three, why can't it?"

Sen sighed lowly, "You only know one and don't know the other." The coyotes are clever, knowing that going it alone is not Braque's opponent, and adopt a strategy of luring the enemy deeper. First send out a coyote, lead the dog deep into the woods, and then rush up. No matter how brave Braque is, he cannot defeat the mouth of many wolves. Poor Braque! Sen burst into tears, but in a bleak tone, he could hardly hide a trace of admiration for the coyotes.

A few years later, about a decade ago, a community newspaper in seattle's North Side area where I live published a notice saying that coyotes had recently been spotted in Paramon Vacant Lot Park in the North Side area. Residents are reminded to take precautions and ensure the safety of children. We should also pay attention to the protection of chickens, cats, and small dogs at home.

Paramount Open Lot Park is near my house, and the news caused a small uproar among the neighborhoods. People say that the coyotes are really getting bolder and bigger, and they actually run to the residential area to settle down.

After a few days, the wind gradually subsided, and everything was as old as ever. One day, I went for a walk in paramon clearings, walked to the park gate, remembered the news about coyotes, and picked up a stout wooden stick from the ground.

Here, such community parks can be found everywhere. Most of them are original green spaces that people have deliberately preserved in the process of urban development. Ancient trees, lawns, hills, ponds, trails, that's all, untouched but full of ancient charm. The reason why it is not repaired is because people generally advocate nature, pursue primitive beauty, and oppose the indiscriminate use of labor; second, because governments at all levels are generally short of money and do not have this budget. All the government can do is send people to collect garbage, mow grass, and trim trees on a regular basis. Therefore, this kind of community park is mostly very quiet all year round, and there are not many tourists.

There was only one gentleman in the vast park, sitting on the lawn reading the Bible. We exchanged names and talked. His surname was Schnehringer, a native of Germany. He used to be an engineer, retired, and now spends most of his day reading and walking. In addition to the Bible, he loved to read history and philosophy books. He asked me if I was going to church. I told the truth not to go. He asked me again if I could read the Bible. I said no to read. The Chinese translation of the Bible is too lame to read. He smiled, pointed to the book in his hand, and said that the Bible was a good book, full of wisdom. For example, the Bible says that greed has weakened mankind, and now mankind is like a mud-footed giant, with an iron head, a copper neck, a stone chest, legs of wood, and feet of mud. On the surface, it is invincible, but in fact it is vulnerable. Not only human beings, but also nations. This is true of both Russia and the United States. He waved his hand dismissively, a mocking smile at the corner of his mouth.

We talked about the news about coyotes, and he said he saw coyotes in this park, three in all, a family. "Aren't you afraid?" I asked. "Not afraid. What's so scary? Coyotes are afraid of humans. It was humans who invaded the coyotes. ”

After another while, one afternoon in the middle of summer, I took a walk to Paramount Middle School Park. It is adjacent to paramon open field park, does not have as many trees, but has a football field. The football field is surrounded by paths and lawns, and people usually walk around the court and rest on the lawn.

The afternoon temperature was still high and there were no people in the park.

I walked around the pitch, not far ahead, a baby girl lying on the lawn, dancing with her hands and teeth. The baby girl's skin is pink and delicate, her hair is curly blonde, and her eyebrows are very cute. Her clothes are brightly colored and very eye-catching. Seeing this little angel, I was very happy and a little confused. "Who was so careless as to throw the child on the lawn?" This mother is also too careless, right? I quickened my pace and walked toward the baby girl.

At this time, on the other side, a dog ran towards the baby girl. Approaching the baby girl it saw me, stopped, and hesitated. Then I saw it clearly. It was about the size of the average dog, but dirty, thin, and obscene. I suddenly woke up: "This is not a dog, but a coyote!" It's one of those three coyotes in Paramon Vacant Lot Park! Its target is the helpless baby girl lying on the lawn in front of her! "This is the first time I have encountered a coyote, and I can't help but take a breath of cool air!" Fuck off! I scolded in English and sped up toward the baby girl and toward the coyote.

The coyotes were frightened by my momentum and anger. It glanced at me, turned around and headed east, then turned right and headed for Paramount Clearing.

The baby girl was still dancing on the lawn at my feet, talking to herself. What a beautiful little angel! Still angry, I raised my head and opened my voice and shouted, "Whose child is this?" Who left her here alone? who? ”

An obese young woman ran from behind a distant bush, tying her pants as she ran, shouting, "My God! My baby! My God! Panicked and incoherent.

"Is this your child?" My tone was harsh. She nodded.

"Why did you leave your child on the lawn?" Did you see the beast? ”

She nodded again and said timidly, "Is that a fox?" ”

"Fox? That's a coyote! If I hadn't just walked here, your baby would have died! ”

"My God! Oh, God! She knew that she was wrong, panicked, and even forgot to say "thank you", picked up the child, drove to the car, and slipped away with a cigarette. I reckon she was worried I'd call the police.

This incident also shook me a lot. I wonder, between man and coyotes, who has more responsibility? Who should be reviewed and condemned more?

In the spring of 2020, when the epidemic was severe and I was sheltering from the epidemic at home, I saw a video circulating on the Internet. A rancher in Texas, unable to be harassed by coyotes, used infrared night vision goggles to eliminate coyotes at night, one shot at a time, and the scene was shocking. In this regard, the son is very dissatisfied, saying that if it continues, it will destroy the inherent circulatory system in nature, and it will also destroy the balance of life between human beings and nature. My son's words are not without reason. A few years ago, I heard a saying that In order to eliminate the wolf plague, Yellowstone Organized manpower to exterminate a large number of wild wolves. As a result, the number of wild deer and wild rats in the park has increased dramatically, and the vegetation has been devastated. There was no way but to airdrop wild wolves to Yellowstone Park from other areas, and find ways to promote the breeding of wild wolves, which could be used to eliminate wild deer and wild rats, and protect vegetation and the environment. There is no doubt that as an indispensable part of the living system, the wolf protects the natural environment on the one hand, and at the same time, it will also cause various troubles to human life. The human task is to find and maintain that delicate balance and critical line between the pros and cons caused by wild wolves.

In fact, human beings and natural things together constitute a system of "heavenly beings" that depend on each other and survive at the same time. In today's world where modern high technology is developing endlessly and human desires and demands for nature are almost out of control, human beings, as the "primate of all things", have the responsibility to restrain themselves, love nature, and maintain an extremely important and extremely fragile balance between human beings and nature. Otherwise, humanity will be subjected to the devastating retribution of nature, losing its place and losing everything. In the final analysis, human beings love nature, that is, to love themselves, is a kind of self-salvation. It will be a long, complex and arduous process. It requires human beings to brainstorm, pool their wisdom and efforts, and work together. Its first step can only begin with human beings restraining their own material desires and paying attention to the cultivation of the mind and the reconstruction of the spirit. All politics must serve this. All politicians will show their original form before this goal.

Zhang Jie 2021/6/9 at Seattle Guofeng Hall

About author:Zhang Jie, graduated from the Department of Chinese, Peking University. Later, he worked at the Chinese Opera Research Institute. He now resides in Seattle, USA.