You know, when I read the well-written May 19, 2005 guest column in the Malibu Times by Claire Fullerton, I just had to laugh. Not that rattlesnakes aren’t serious business, because they are. I laughed because of this typical, rather ignorant and all-too common attitude that newcomers bring to their wildlife encounters in the real-world paradise of Malibu. Malibu is not Disneyland, Encino or some well-groomed, chemically infused golf course where “nature” is tamed and dead. Malibu is alive, not artificial or fake. For more thousands of years than I can imagine, it has been home to rattlesnakes, hawks, skunks, coyotes, all kinds of bugs and spiders, mountain lions, bobcats, scorpions, owls, bats, ground squirrels, raccoons, rabbits and, yes, people. It is not an antiseptic, worry-free environment, and most of us here would not have it any other way. The rattlesnake is not an intruder, Mrs. Fullerton. You are. And so am I.
It is incumbent on us temporary human dwellers in Malibu to raise our awareness enough to respect the ancient wildlife and the wildness of Malibu. Try living in harmony with the locals. As you watch them in their myriad of interactions-that’s called ecology, by the way-you will grow in wisdom. As the deer, rabbits and the ground squirrels play on and eat your fancy landscaping and your thirsty lawn, you will come to realize your place in the web of life here. You have a responsibility to protect, not destroy, these fragile and oh-so precious natural resources.
I do not mean this to belittle you or your concerns about dangerous wildlife. Please think of this as an invitation to learn. Contact the fantastic and kind Rebecca Dymytrick at Malibu’s WildRescue (Pager 310.238.2339, rebecca@wildrescue.org), the dedicated folks at California Wildlife Center (310.458.9453) or our own American Tortoise Rescue (800.938.3553) to learn how you can become a knowledgeable, helpful member of our living, caring Malibu community. I will not be here for long, Mrs. Fullerton and neither will you. But rattlesnakes are forever.
Marshall Thompson and Susan Tellem
Co-Founders, American Tortoise Rescue