Circle of strife: Predators, protectors… Danger in declawing, defanging the Endangered Species Act

It’s always front-page news when an alligator kills a human. The same would be true for a bear mauling or an attack by a mountain lion or shark.We are hard-wired for horror when a top predator kills one of us. It happens rarely, but when it does, television cameras spark with an impulse older than lights on a Christmas tree.

At the same time, the panthers or gators we may have hunted down after dragging a person into a canal are also on a thousand bronze statues, representing the highest order of strength, endurance and accomplishment.

Protect or eradicate? Honor or revile?