Wednesday 14 October 2009

Sharing the Beach revisited

Last week I posted regarding a beach in California where the courts evicted the seals from their traditional pupping beach. I could not understand why people can not share the beach are and leave the seals alone.

While prior to posting I had been in contact with two people involved in the case, when they each discovered that I was talking to the other, they withdrew their cooperation. To me that illustrates just how childish everyone was regarding the La Jolla beach. This left me not knowing for sure what the situation in today. However, following the posting I was contacted by another individual who was also involved in the dispute.

It was reassuring to finally talk to an adult regarding the whole saga. So little common sense was exercised in this matter that the folks that wanted the seals evicted caused the city authority to have to pay for three thousand cubic yards of sand to be removed from the beach. This was to ensure that there was no seal poo or urine left on the beach. Also the City of San Diego had to pay the costs of the plaintiffs too. The aspect that was never reported though was that the people who were complaining about the seals were the owners of cafés and stores that fronted the children's pool beach. Therefore it was not really about ensuring that this small cove remained available to the people but that the business owners did not loose income. They could have adjusted to cater for the many seal watchers that were visiting the beach.

Now the seals have lost their pupping beach and while the seals are still trying to use the beach, the people are driving the seals away and more than half of the seal pups have been abandoned and some have died as a result.

When will people grow up and stop behaving like spoilt brats?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The story makes me sick. Animals can't be served with, or understand, an 'eviction notice'. the loss of their pupping grounds means certain death for the pups.
I have always considered Californians to be the most selfish and infantile type of American, but this really takes the biscuit. It is a disgusting story and my sympathies are with the seals.