they shoot horses, don't they?

Don't misunderstand---for 99% of the time, I am delighted with visitors to "my" prairie. But every once in a while we get a just desserts situation that is pleasing to our nature-protective souls. Two young men had come to visit the day before yesterday to check out the terrain in prep for bringing (and supposedly impressing) their girlfriends. Ignoring a face-to-face warning from the staff, they came face-to-face with being locked in at an inner gate closing time. Left there only for three minutes, they wailed and made all sorts of excuses when let out.

So you can imagine the wonderful irony when they returned the next day, girls in tow, and scampered out onto a trail which traverses half the prairie basin, and found four wild horses on the return path. Most visitors would be thrilled, as this is not a regular occurrence, but this hysterical kid called the station stating that the horses were "attacking" them and they wanted someone sent right away. Telling them to calm down and not spook or throw things at the animals, and they might have to wait a few for the little band to move on seemed to upset him further, so I promised some assistance. It was only minutes, but he called again in greater distress, saying they had to retreat around the bend on the trail, and someone needed to come.right.now.

The FUN part is that it was the same staff member as the day before, who, incidentally, knows horses domestic and wild like the back of her hand, and who was able to casually stroll through the horses to "rescue" the people like a (wait for it) walk in the park!! She was professional and nice to them, didn't gloat, and explained that the horses would not have hurt them had they just walked around with little fanfare. A true Kodak moment, and I would not have been so kind.

I shudder to think what their reaction would have been to the bison (who will charge if they see fit) or an alligator (who usually won't, but who likes the spot it picked and can be reluctant to move.) I think we should have told him about the dozens of moccasins who love to stand their ground as long as they can see you. Maybe he'll think twice about returning.

Youth doesn't entitle you to condescension, and I get easily fed up with people of any age being nasty and expecting niceness in return because "we pay your salary." Hey, bend over and I will shove my college degree up your ass, as that's the only place you seem to park your head. If you have no respect for what you have supposedly traveled to see, I'll give you a map to Disney F. World, where you will feel very much at home.