Long time reader WilberFan has pointed out a somber article posted by the Los Angeles Times. People have discussed how wildfires are apart of the grand scheme of things and how they need to happen every so often, but it is still heartbreaking to hear about the horrible suffering and deaths of wild animals stuck in the burn area.
Angeles National Forest fire takes toll on wildlife
The Station fire in the San Gabriel Mountains has taken an enormous toll on the environment, a fact that was particularly evident along Angeles Crest Highway, which remained closed to public traffic this morning.
Under skies tinged corral and gray by dense smoke, mile after mile of mountain and canyon lands along both sides of the two-lane highway, Route 2, had been stripped of manzanita, sumac, sycamore and pine trees that had not previously burned in nearly half a century.
Vistas had become moonscapes of dirt, rock and ash in the Angeles National Forest. Every few hundred yards, the charred remains of a squirrel or rodents could be seen lying by the side of the road. Some creatures, however, managed to survive.
Birds, including scrub jays, flitted among rare patches of chaparral clinging to cliff sides. A female mule deer wandered along the highway. A rabbit sat forlornly on a plateau covered with gray ash. Many firefighters recalled crossing paths with surviving rattlesnakes.
Federal wildlife authorities said biologists and environmental rehabilitation specialists were expected to begin inspecting the damage and developing recovery strategies in the near future.
Nearly every firefighter had a heartbreaking story to tell about an encounter with dead or dying wildlife.
“We came across a rabbit with a broken back, and we put it out of its misery,” said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Capt. Nick Shawkey. “But the majority of animals die from superheated gases that precede the fire front. Their respiratory systems get knocked out. Essentially, they suffocate.”
Standing on a cliff edge and surveying the devastation, he added, “It’s sad. Really sad. But it will come back.”
– Louis Sahagun at Mt. Wilson
#1 by Linda on October 21, 2009 - 3:35 pm
I get so weary of the comments that fires are the natural order of things. Arson isn't natural, so there is nothing to justify it. The wildlife that died, suffered, and was displaced by this senseless and dispicable act was enormous. Habitat that was in some places hundreds of years in the making were snuffed out in mere hours. I think some folks say such cavalier things are protecting their feelings. I myself feel all of it and am outraged and saddened by this incalcuable loss.
#2 by Kolby on October 21, 2009 - 3:45 pm
Approve.
#3 by Linda on October 21, 2009 - 10:35 pm
I get so weary of the comments that fires are the natural order of things. Arson isn't natural, so there is nothing to justify it. The wildlife that died, suffered, and was displaced by this senseless and dispicable act was enormous. Habitat that was in some places hundreds of years in the making were snuffed out in mere hours. I think some folks say such cavalier things are protecting their feelings. I myself feel all of it and am outraged and saddened by this incalcuable loss.
#4 by Kolby on October 21, 2009 - 10:45 pm
Approve.