it only happened because I was bored, well mostly bored but boredom born out of impatience that had given up.  Resignation turned to boredom.  So while I was busy being bored (I was sitting in stopped traffic) I read these words on the back of the truck directly in front of me, “wildlife removal and repair”.

As I had nothing better to do I began to ponder these words.  After all, inquiring minds really do want to know.  What kind of wildlife?  Removed from where to where?  And who or what gets the repair?  The removed wildlife or the home from which they were removed?  Can wildlife even be “repaired”?  At least the word “removal” implies relocation rather than extermination.  (meaning death)

I think the word “return” needs to be in the slogan as well.  It could read “wildlife removal, return and repair”.  The word return could, although ambiguous in that phrase, do double duty, implying two things at once.  First that the removed wildlife will be returned to their natural habitat and secondly that the people who did the removing will return and repair the home from which they removed the wildlife.

To me this slogan on the back of the truck appears to merge two very different fields of endeavor, wildlife management and construction/home repair.  The former are more likely to be biologists or naturalists, the latter to be carpenters or electricians, builders (and fixers) of buildings.  Do I really want a nature guy working on my roof or foundation or wiring or whatever the “wildlife” that invaded my home has messed up?

Maybe this slogan captured my attention because my mom could have used their services a few years ago.  In her old house she had some “wildlife” issues and she would have wanted “removal” that included “return” to a natural habitat and “repair” whether that applied to the wildlife or to her home.

Squirrels and raccoons were some of the most common culprits, taking up residence in her attic.  They can be noisy as well as destructive.  The moles in her yard were quite destructive, and there were opossums, bats and mice – but they stayed mainly in the barn next to the house.  (except for the mice who preferred her warmer basement)

But my favorite were the bees that took up residence in an unoccupied, upstairs corner bedroom from time to time.  Yes, they were seasonal bees, coming and going as they pleased.  When the bees were visiting, the door to that bedroom was kept shut, but the bees never seemed interested in leaving that warm, sunny room with all its windows anyway.  I think they, too, preferred the door shut so they would be left alone, undisturbed.

It was a relationship that worked, my mom and her bees.  Her house was a kind of B & B for bees if you will.  Too bad they never left her any honey.  My mom also acquired various stray cats and dogs over the years, not all at the same time but sequentially.  These, however, would not qualify as “wildlife”.

So I was deep into my reverie, when traffic started moving again.  None of my questions had been answered and I hadn’t thought to write down the number on the back of the truck.  I would certainly suggest they add the word “return” to their slogan and clarify who gets the repairs, the wildlife or the premises the wildlife has now vacated?

Historically speaking, I’m sure this is a relatively new kind of a business.  I can’t imagine the pioneers having a “service” to call to deal with the bears, wolves, foxes, squirrels, birds and other wild animals that ate their crops and threatened their livestock and chickens and such.  Even today, I wonder, who is invading whose territory?  I wonder if the “wildlife” wish they had a number to call for removal (of us humans) and repair of their beautiful habitats?

In Genesis 1:26 we read, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, (Hebrew – ‘all the wild animals’) and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ ”

Lord, help us to be good rulers, good caretakers of this earth and everything in it.

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”   (Genesis 2:15)

sincerely,       Grace Day