The title, of course, is a line from one of the many thought-provoking dialogues in what must be my favorite movie of all time, The Matrix. It seemed to be the most accurate phrase to describe the following photos of the egrets preying on fish raised by man for food and profit.
The photos were taken on the drive back to Roxas City after a visit to the Pan-ay Church on Good Friday. The birds appear to be egrets, they belong to the family of herons and they are feeding on bangus raised in fish ponds. Fish pond owners consider them as pests.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, man hunted egrets for their plumes to decorate hats. And it just seems uncanny that egrets should feed on man’s food and wreck his livelihood. The circle of life, no doubt.
There are several classifications of egrets and these are probably Chinese egrets (Swinhoe’s egrets) which migrate to Southeast Asia during the winter months. Wikipedia says that Eastern Visayas appears to be the main wintering grounds.
so many of them there. fishpond owners see them as pests. conservationists will fight for protection. we need to find the middle ground
the US government were spending million of dollars to protect the prairie dogs from extinction and they are making a big progress in raising the population of this once endangered specie,however the prairie dogs who thrive on grasses and forbs to survive are becoming a headache to the cattle ranchers they are competing for grazing land with the herds,so the ranchers are shooting and trapping them,the irony here is that they too are getting million of dollars in sudsidy from the government.