Eulogy for a woodchuck
From Dori Pullan, Waterford Township:
December 24, 2008
Nov. 20, at 4:15 p.m., west of Decker on Maple Road, an inhumane coward ran over a beautiful young woodchuck and kept going. This driver is not worth the dirt that the blood spilled upon. My husband and I did not see the impact, just what followed. Several cars in front of us swerved to avoid hitting the animal again as it staggered and flipped about in pain.
We then blocked traffic with our car. Over 200 vehicles passed us. Many offered obscene gestures, language and frowns. Few stopped to help. Six heroes with true kind souls freely offered help.
One man stopped, took his toolbox, threw his tools onto his front seat and offered the box as a bed for the woodchuck. Two men came out of local businesses west of Decker offering help; both called 911. A woman stopped and gave us a very nice sweater for a blanket. A Walled Lake police officer arrived and escorted us to the Walled Lake Veterinary Hospital, where Dr. Steven Burns volunteered his services. He tenderly examined the woodchuck and treated it with euthanasia, sparing the agony it would have endured.
So, eight people out of several hundred thought to help. What does that say about people in general? To the people who truly helped, you give me hope. To the 96 percent who kept going, annoyed by this ordeal, shame on you. Your behavior and disregard for life is an example of one of the ills our society faces.
(link to Spinal Column article)
I too have gotten out of my car to get a woodchuck out of the road, but I don't think that was heroic nor that those who drove past were to be ashamed. I just wanted to handle the whistle pig.
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