The predator evokes ambivalent feelings in Western culture. We admire the lion, tiger, eagle, cougar and wolf for their strength and beauty, yet at the same time we fear them. Such big game predators are among the first to be targeted for extinction – we are also predators so it’s a matter of ‘us or them’.
We feel much less ambivalent about the scavenger – hyenas, vultures, crows, rats, coyotes and pigeons. These are creatures that feed off the remains of corpses or pick through the waste and leavings of both nature and humanity. Until recently, the valuable ecological niche filled by such scavengers was only recognized by a small group of biologists and naturalists. For most of us these are the lowest of the low. Bottom feeders. While we recognize (even glorify) the predator in ourselves, we are reluctant to acknowledge the scavenger side to our natures.
