Web Log Entry #0030, Sunday, January 5, 2003: Day 48

Anchorage Sunrise: 10:11am Sunset: 3:59pm High Temp: 23° Low Temp: 14° When one walks around outside in Anchorage, you're supposed to watch for animals. I forget to look. I'm not used to being a lower rung on the Food Chain. As a small child in Arizona I had to watch out for Gila Monsters, but they're rare and not large enough to carry off a full-grown adult. Even in the heart of Anchorage ("Spenard"), however, one must be constantly vigilant for a variety of wildlife dangers: Watch For: Because You Can Be: Polar Bears Mauled, eaten. Moose Stomped, gored, possibly eaten. Orcas Chewed, eaten. (Most people don't realize that Orcas (called 'Killer Whales' by their publicists) can attack things on land. One woman here was taken by an Orca as she walked out of a grocery store.) Arctic Fox Gnawed. Polar Sheep Trampled. Arctic Weasels Nibbled about ankles. (Worse than it sounds.) Snow Snakes Bitten, poisoned. Polar Mice Infected - Their droppings can carry the "Santavirus". There are probably others I'm forgetting. Most people in the United States don't know about these dangers, as they tend to omit them from the tourist literature. Slogans like "Come to Alaska, The Animals are Hungry!" or "Alaska: You Will Feed The Bears!" might not draw the crowds one hopes for. So far, I haven't met anybody who's been eaten, but I think it's only a matter of time.

<== Previous - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Next ==>

© 2003 Evan M. Nichols