Not An Apex Thinker

I’m working as a seasonal employee with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Forestry Division. The Wildlife department stocks various fish and birds for hunters and fishermen at certain points in the year. The animals don’t often survive for very long because they are bred in farms so they don’t understand survival. It’s also one of the last days for bird hunting.

A man walks into the office and sees me.

Man: “Are you who I talk to about pheasant stocking?”

Me: “Oh, no, I’m just a seasonal.”

My supervisor walks out.

Supervisor: “Hello! What can I help you with?”

Man: “I went out to hunt today and I couldn’t find any, but there were a bunch of dead ones at the base of a tree! It’s those d*** hawks; they’re everywhere!”

Supervisor: “Uh, yeah. So what’s the problem?”

Man: “I didn’t get any. Those d*** hawks keep getting them. They aren’t even eating them! There’s too many.”

Supervisor: “Well, yeah, we can’t control nature. What constitutes too many?”

Man: “You just see them everywhere on the highway; you see them on the lamp posts.”

Supervisor: “Well, it’s the Division of Wildlife that stocks them. I can get you their number.”

My supervisor gives the man the number and he leaves.

Me: “Was he implying we need to hunt an apex predator? Or tell them to stop hunting? He is aware that they control populations, right?”

My supervisor is momentarily at a loss for words.

Supervisor: “I guess I’ll give Wildlife a heads-up.”

Turns out they get a lot of complaints like that.