I was sorting through some of my pictures today, when I came across a series of them that made me sad. These were taken a while back, at a time when I was in the right place at the right time to observe something that seemed horribly cruel. As much as I love my Bayou, at times I must admit things are not to my liking. This was one of those times.
It was early afternoon when I heard a couple of raccoons fussing up a storm! My initial thought was that the Red-tailed Hawk was harassing a small raccoon and that the little fellow was squalling for his mama! I hurried to the back of the Bayou. Here, there was a dense covering of underbrush, a good stand of live tree and a few tall, dead pine trees. As I eased my way through the brambles, I realized that the bickering was coming from one of the dead trees. I had no inkling of what I was about to witness. At first glance, I thought that Mama Coon was just trying to wean her kits and was just putting them in their place.
After watching for a few minutes, I came to realize that this was not the case. Mama Coon was the one doing the fussing but it was not directed at her babies. All of this squalling was at an intruder! Mama Coon obviously was trying to protect her nestlings against a large male raccoon. She had nested in the top of a hollowed out dead pine tree and he was sitting just above her head. Poor Mama Coon..every time she tried to do anything, he would scratch and bite her. Oh, my goodness! This was horrible! After a few minutes of watching, he moved in on her..he bit and scratched her relentlessly. She was in pain but stood her ground until being the smaller of the two..she lost the battle. I watched as she dove from the top of the pine tree.
I felt bad for Mama Coon as she was driven from her home..but then, I thought..."That is nature." I knew she would be ok..that she would find a new tree hole and make a new nest. I was not prepared for what happened next, though, and still have a hard time thinking of what I saw. The large male coon entered the nesting hole and started ripping it apart. At first, I wondered what he was doing..then the sad realization. He was not throwing out large chunks of the nest..he was killing the new born baby raccoons. Some he just tossed out of the top of the tree so they could fall to their death..others met a much crueler fate. A few were devoured by the male.
The Bayou, like any other place, can be a harsh place. Not all is beauty and sweetness ...there are things that are just simply difficult to accept. Would I have stayed, observed and photographed the series of events that took place that afternoon if I realized beforehand what was happening? Probably..it was one of those events that occur whether we like it or not and just because something does not appeal to us, does not mean that we can change it. There was absolutely nothing that I could have done to change the course of events..even if I had managed to chase the male raccoon away at the time, he would have returned. He knew where the nest was and that the mother was at a huge disadvantage. She had a nest full of little ones to try to protect..he was larger, stronger and was bent on destroying some unrelated little ones. Survival of the fittest came into play. Yes...the Bayou can be cruel..it can be harsh but that is life..that is nature. That, also, is difficult to understand at times.
The series of events was a sad thing to view...but it does help to know that Mama Coon went on to nest again and this time with no interruption. She reared her full brood of four little ones the following Spring.
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