My heart is unable to hold this insatiable need to express my opinion for another day, regarding the possible cull of deer in the Figueiras Park.
I have been a resident of the park for one season of this beautiful new year and am astounded by the proposed violation of nature herein.
This park is beautiful, well-groomed and, from what I’ve witnessed, the residents are congenial towards one another and outwardly friendly.
Beauty, is of course, in the eye of the beholder. Beauty, for me, is nature. We all are a part of nature and to disrespect the life of deer, and their necessity to the balance of life, is a disgrace to me, my husband and to those in the park who disagree with enforcing a cull or any other manner of dispersing or disposing of wildlife.
To live closer to my aging mother and my three sisters required soul searching sacrifices. One of these was to give away my precious dog due to the strict rule that the park does not allow pets. We are seniors here, most of us anyway, and animals are calming; therapy for the body and mind and they literally keep people active, young and healthy. Exactly what the seniors of today strive for as a requirement for a bettered life.
Wildlife, in their own way, provide the same. They are creatures of beauty, grace and serenity. They eat cedar; some flowers and they excrete as all living gifts of nature do. Many of the deer in this park were born in the park. This is their home. This is my home. I am more than willing to share this home with these precious gifts of beauty and spiritual life. Who are we to take away this beauty? Who are we to say what lives and dies? Who are we to step into the shoes of God? Questions that need be pondered by those who wish these creatures harm in the ways of removal from their home, what they know and where they thrive, or even death.
When I walk in the early morning (5 a.m.) my path is enlightened with deer. I walk with them; stand and talk to them; and thank God for their existence in this world that is overflowing with disease, crimes originating from anger, homelessness due to a world that thrives on greed and many more negative acts of unhappy and mentally maladjusted people. My husband refers to me as the ‘deer whisperer’ due to my love and positive interaction with deer here in Penticton, as I did in Victoria for three years residing in a manufactured home park in Langford.
This proposed action, from a small percentage of the Figueiras Park residents, is one of arrogance, lack of compassion and ignorance of what is important to sustain the circle of life. The deer belong here and I stand up for their rights, their very existence, in a world that is becoming more and more self serving and where disregard and disrespect for life other than the human animal, is depleting the world of compassion with each passing day. God help us and bless us everyone.
Virginia Baker
Penticton