Welcome To The Wilderness

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Gomek died of heart disease on March 6, 1997. He was one of the largest and tamest captive crocodiles in existence. At death he was 17.8 feet long, weighed nearly 2,000 pounds and was probably between 60 and 80 years old.

Like the Eye in the Sky at the Hard Rock Casino, wildlife is watching us all the time. A fox and her mangy kits checked out my home throughout the summer, whisking their tails like brooms and driving my dogs crazy by deliberately walking in front of our picture window. The bears, a handful among 500,000 other Ursus Americanus, including the fellow that lumbered away from our garbage bin toting two 50-gallon, polyurethane bags, wait to see if Don is bringing home Papa John’s pepperoni or Chinese takeout, hoping for pizza since it is an easier box to smash and grab. So far there has never been a fatal bear attack in Vermont, which means that even if you have to pin your sleeve to your shoulder, you won’t die. I’d rather rely on The New York Times article that claimed that bears only attack after a bad berry year. Berry season and its relative success is something I can deal with.

Read the entire article in the December 2012 issue

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