Where the Wild Things Are

It used to be that wild animals lived deep in the forest and those of us in the cities never saw them. But not so any longer.

As I was writing yesterday’s post, I looked out my window to see a fat red fox meandering across my front yard with a (presumably) dead animal in its mouth. It looked both ways and crossed the street, not in any particular hurry. A dog walking down the same street minutes later sniffed like crazy, but by then the fox had disappeared into my neighbor’s back yard.

Then later as I drove into the city for my afternoon yoga class, I saw the hulking carcass of a dead deer on the left shoulder of I-395, quite close to Pentagon City. What in the world was a deer doing on such a busy highway?

But of greater interest, what are any of these wild animals doing deep inside the beltway? Are they searching for food? Are they becoming domesticated? Are they just no longer scared of humanity?

I have a healthy respect for nature, but this seems like nature gone wrong. What can we possibly do to lure the wild animals back to places that are safe for them and that are safe for us?