Nature Journal- Under the Snow

I really enjoyed reading the excerpt from John McAphee’s Under the Snow. His unique style of creative nonfiction drew me in to the story he was telling despite it not being a work of complete fiction. Typically, I am not a fan of reading nonfiction, however when told in story form, nonfiction becomes more interesting. He explains that mother bears often run away and leave their cubs in the den when humans get too close. I have always pictured mother bears as ferocious and willing to stop at nothing in defense of her cubs. This could be attributed to the stories you often hear of bear attacks, which often occur when the person stumbles upon bear cubs and/or the den. I didn’t realize that mother bears can get scared too, and their most feasible option at the time is to run off. I think that this shows just how misunderstood nature can be. Wild animals in particular are often depicted in movies, media, etc. as different from how they actually act in nature. This gives the general audience a false sense of wildlife which, in my opinion, is detrimental. I hear so many stories about people who find bear cubs, or baby buffalo, or a baby dear and take them into their cars because they were “cold” or “lonely”. To most people, this is an obvious incorrect decision; however, some truly believe they are helping the animals. I think that this goes along with the ignorance that is present in society towards natural surroundings. Not only does this apply to local and global geography, but knowledge of local wildlife species as well.