BUT THE WILD IS STILL HERE

By K. Kirton Niner
Does This Help®

You can manicure the land.
You can pave roads, install lighting, build walls, and plant decorative trees.
You can make a place look like a city.

But that does not mean the wild has left.

The wild does not disappear just because people decide to ignore it.

THIS IS NOT A THEORY — THIS IS OBSERVATION

This land was not created as a subdivision first.
It was desert first.
It was wildlife first.
It was migration paths first.

And those paths do not vanish simply because humans redraw maps or install landscaping.

There is a big cat here.

That statement is not emotional.
It is not dramatic.
It is not fear-based.

It is fact-based awareness.

Ignoring that reality does not make it safer.
It makes it more dangerous.

WILD ANIMALS DO NOT READ ZONING LAWS

Mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, and other apex or near-apex predators do not recognize:

  • Property lines
  • Fences built for aesthetics
  • The idea that “this is basically a city now”

They recognize:

  • Water
  • Prey
  • Territory
  • Disruption
  • Pressure

When we push development into wild corridors and then pretend the animals are “out of place,” we invert reality.

We are the newcomers.

THE DANGER IS NOT THE CAT — IT IS DENIAL

A big cat does not become dangerous because it exists.
It becomes dangerous when:

  • People stop paying attention
  • Pets are left unattended
  • Children are allowed to roam without awareness
  • Trash, feed, and attractants are left unmanaged
  • Neighbors insist on treating rural land like urban space

The problem is not wildlife.
The problem is human arrogance.

THIS IS RURAL LAND — ACT LIKE IT

This area is not a city block with wildlife “passing through.”

It is a shared edge space where humans and animals overlap.

That requires:

  • Respect
  • Education
  • Responsibility
  • Self-governance

Not complaints.
Not denial.
Not pretending danger doesn’t exist because it’s inconvenient.

AWARENESS IS NOT FEAR — IT IS WISDOM

I am not panicked.
I am not hysterical.
I am not imagining things.

I am paying attention.

And paying attention is what keeps families safe, pets alive, and ecosystems balanced.

Those who dismiss this reality are not being brave or modern.

They are being careless.

DOES THIS HELP®?

Yes.
Because naming reality helps.

It helps neighbors understand where they live.
It helps prevent tragedy.
It helps people remember that land has memory — and wildlife does too.

You can change the surface.

But the wild is still here.

And it deserves to be acknowledged — not ignored.