Hi blog,
Season’s Greetings as I write this on Boxing Day (What most Australians refer December 26th as)
I didn’t think I would be writing another post this year. With sunrise after 6:45, sunset before 4:40, days of fridge temperature maximums (today’s top will is expected to be 5℃), plus the end of year stuff to do (including making two Christmas puddings at work, ho, ho ho!) have left encounters with wildlife largely out of the question.
Even worse, my striped loaches all died within three days of each other. I can only guess that the weather had something to do with it.
However, I was recently given something that might be of interest to readers of this blog.
It was a present from my wife’s uncle. Actually, it was handed to me by my mother-in-law. She asked me to guess what it was and seemed a bit disappointed when I did.
Guessing was easy. I recognise a mammal’s claw when I see one, and the only animal in Japan large enough to possess a claw of that size – just over half the length of my thumb – is a bear. Furthermore, since it was from the uncle in rural Fukushima, a Japanese black bear was the only candidate. (I was aided by the knowledge that sometimes bears enter the village and are shot – I had bear curry there once.)
While I would prefer that the bears are not shot and killed, I realize that sometimes it is the only way to ensure the safety of the people in the village. And while I don’t agree with killing for trophies, I am pleased to have the claw as an object of interest connected to wildlife.
Wishing you all the best for 2022.
Wild in Japan 