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| The pond as seen from the back of the Freed Center |
Behind the Freed Center there is a pond. For some odd reason, it is also referred to as a lake. I wonder if those that call it a lake have ever seen an actual lake before. The pond is not just a body of water for show. The pond gives a home to animals as well. Ducks, geese, swans, and surprisingly some fish are able to make homes. The birds are only comfortable in the area in the warm weather, so you may pass quicker than usual and step anywhere on the sidewalk without your shoes bringing along anything smelly and unpleasant. Until then, keep an eye on the ground.
Not only are the animals in danger from the cold weather, the poor judgement of the Ada community can kill them. It’s obvious that feeding the animals who live at the pond is dangerous for both the human and the animal. It does not matter what food you Google or already know is safe for them to eat. Animals need to keep up their strength naturally. It’s no wonder that the geese are about to be so bold when getting hostile with their nests. If the animals start to depend on ignorant handouts, they will starve and die. We are all sad about one of the swan’s passing away. Shouldn’t that be motivation to keep the animals on campus happy to stay for as long as the weather has them able to? But, even if the students and staff start to honor this request, there are still the elderly who come and feed the animals. I think that I understand that feeding birds is a somewhat traditional thing for them to do. However, being old does not entitle someone to disregard rules that keep others safe for their own pleasure.
This was a very interesting blog. I did not know feeding the animals hindered their strength to survive naturally. I agree that this issue is hard to control because of all the people who are not an Ohio Northern student who feed the animals. I wonder if putting up signs would help?
ReplyDeleteI have never thought about feeding animals in ONU before. I thought that it is allowed for students and everyone to feed animals in ONU so I could learn the important things thanks to your blog. It is difficult to regulate the rules but everyone should care about it without restrictions.
ReplyDeleteThis was a good read. I still instinctually call it a lake becasue of Lakeview apartments though. Stopping people form feeding the animals will be a long an uphill task to undertake. Many people have come so accustomed to it I wouldn't be surprised if we cold stopped doing it the ducks would panic. Thank you for the short but enlightening conversation.
ReplyDeleteI have never thought about the harm this is causing before! I always thought this was an act of kindness, that is so interesting. I Used to live right there and there would always be Ada residents coming to visit and feeding them everything!
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