The Dark Side of Nature

I have debated about whether to tell about this event that I witnessed just a few days ago in our front yard, and have decided the story was worthy of being told.  It is not the beautiful side of nature that I usually love to show here, but I think that the story does need to be told, because it caused me to consider just how blessed we are.

Daily we have anywhere from 20-40 turkeys that come to visit us and to eat what the birds have dropped from the bird feeder.

 As I was watching the turkeys out in the yard, I noticed two turkeys down towards the end of my driveway moving together in what appeared to be a heart shaped pattern - it looked like their beaks were joined together in a heart shaped way, which was rather strange to me.  Then, as I continued watching, I realized that this had nothing to do with love but more to do with something quite ugly! They were intent on killing each other!  I watched as one bird would take the beak of the other and twist it quickly, throwing the other bird down on the ground, and while that bird struggled to get up, it was being harshly pecked on the neck until it would finally get up, and then the birds would lock beaks and begin the duel again.

My first thought was that this was a simple fight over food (turkeys fight all day long over food), but soon I realized that this had nothing to do with food, because usually one turkey will run away and hide, and the other will go back to pecking at the food.

That was not happening.  They were pecking each other's throats and twisting each other's necks in an attempt to kill the other.  Neither one was giving in, and they were in it to win, at the expense of the other's life.

I couldn't stand it any longer.  I know that nature has its order, but I just couldn't stand there and watch these two turkeys kill each other.   I had no time to grab my camera, not that I wanted to take a picture of this gruesome event anyway.  I ran down the driveway and yelled at them.  They looked at me - stunned - got up, and skedaddled down the driveway and across the street.   I stood there watching them, hoping they would separate and forget about fighting.  But again, in the middle of the street they went at it again, and this time I was close enough to hear the sounds they were making.  It was awful.

So I chased them again, and they took off through the bushes and ended up back behind my chicken coop.  I walked back to the house, and watched them, and sure enough, they went at it again behind the chicken coop.  I chased them again and this time, one of the turkeys could barely stand.  I gently walked over to check on it, but as soon as I got closer, it got up and was able to walk.

By this time all the turkeys had grouped together, and were heading into the woods, and I decided I couldn't chase them anymore and try to break up their fight.  I hoped the other turkeys joining them would be a distraction for them.

I do not know what happened to those two turkeys, but after breaking up their fight three times, I resigned myself to the fact that one of them probably died in the woods.  We have found dead turkeys in our forest for no reason, without apparent injury.  If they had been killed by a wild animal, all that would have been left is feathers.  So now, I think we know the sad ending of that story.

The whole episode left me quite shook up, because I had never personally encountered two wild animals determined to kill one another.  I'm just thankful they didn't die there in front of me.

As I reflected on this incident, I realized just how far our lives are separated from the reality of nature, where life is raw, wild, and untamed.  We live in warm houses, have clothing to wear, food to eat, and water to drink.  These are things we take for granted... but these animals do not have those things. Every moment of their lives is fraught with danger, and they are constantly seeking the basics of food, water and shelter, and safety from predators.  And then the issues that come up between them of dominance, and mating, that also factors in how they live.

I was thankful to retreat into my warm cozy home, pour myself a cup of hot tea, and reflect on just how blessed I am that I don't live with fear like the wild animals who come to visit us here.  And I'm so thankful for the advancements that humanity has made so that we are blessed to live quiet peaceful lives with so many rich blessings, and we don't have to be exposed to the rawness of nature, just to survive.