“One evening one (lepus americanus) sat by my door two paces from me, at first trembling with fear , yet unwilling to move; a poor wet thing, lean and bony, with ragged ears and sharp nose, scant tail and slender paws. It looked as if Nature no longer contained the breed of nobler bloods but stood on her last toes.” (Thoreau 305)

I find that in a way this quote connects to the idea of nature wars. As our society expands into Nature we come into more contact with wildlife. This hare (which by the way I had to look up the translation from latin that Thoreau uses–embarrassing for me) seems to be timid and afraid. By expanding into this hare’s land did humans make this hare more afraid? Could we be making animals less “noble” as they are exposed to more man?  Or maybe this is because we are just intimidating because they have never seen a creature comparable to man.

For some creatures this instills fear but for others this could mean an attack on man. I think that humans would like to think that every animal will be as afraid as this hare but this is an ignorant thought to have. As we move deeper into animals’ land we must expect interactions and potential danger. So why aren’t we taught about how to handle these situations? Maybe it is time a class on wildlife scenarios be taught in our education system. I think that this would make for an opportunity for future generations to understand nature and that we are not completely separate from it and the creatures that live within it.