Meet The Wildlife
We see like you. We hear like you. We breathe like you.
We feel like you. We grieve like you. We feel pain like you. We have families like you. We have the will to survive like you. We are conscious like you.
We are residents of Joshua Tree.
We don't rent.
We live here.
Dear Humans,
​
We, the wildlife of Joshua Tree National Park, have lived on this land for centuries. Many humans come for a weekend, but we stay for a lifetime. We have raised countless generations of families here.
The desert is our home.
We face many problems: global warming; extreme drought; urban sprawl; and destruction of our Joshua Trees, foliage and natural terrain. And now poison.
This is where we raise our families, find safety from predators, take shade under trees and find protection from severe weather.
Many of you have decided that some of us are a nuisance and use poison to kill us, our children and our families. The use of poison has contaminated each of us and our entire food chain.
We are all interconnected. We depend on each other for survival. This system, our food chain, is nature's design.
Poisoning one poisons all.
We, the wildlife of Joshua Tree, ask you to practice kindness.
We ask you to co-exist naturally with us, to respect and honor us as sentient conscious beings, and to honor and respect the land which is our home.
​
Please keep our food clean.
​
With love,
​
The Wildlife of Joshua Tree
Great Horned Owl
I am your natural rodent control. Did you know that Joshua Tree National Park closes sections of the park specifically for our mating season? We are parents and feed our young with mice, rats, white tailed antelope squirrels and desert squirrels for up to five months. Each time we consumed poison rats, our young are poisoned. Please show us your support and let us take care of your rats and mice, we were designed for this role.
Desert Woodrat
I am perhaps the most important animal of the food chain and the most misunderstood. I serve a great purpose, to feed the majority of desert wildlife. Roadrunners, snakes, hawks, owls, coyotes, bobcats and many other animal species depend on me for their survival. When you poison me, you poison them all. Please use natural methods for me and for them.
White-Tailed Antelope Squirrel
Perhaps you have seen me frolicking though the desert. I work hard to find food for myself and to support my family. I nurse my youngsters for two months. Did you know I have a pouch in my mouth to carry food? If poisoned it seeps into my mouth and body upon contact. I am also an important food for roadrunners, coyotes, hawks, owls and bobcats. You may see just a squirrel, but I am more than that. I am a mother and a father; I have families like you.
Coyote
Do you know how sparse food and water are in the desert? I have lived here for centuries. I raise my young here. I travel with my pack; my family. I need clean food for myself and for my young. When I consume poison it is passed through to my children in utero. Poison also causes mange and makes me very sick. Mountain lions and bobcats feed off of me. Please support us, our pack; this is nature's design.
Greater Roadrunner
I was born to run, up to 25 mph. I can outrun a human and kill a rattlesnake. I feed upon rats, mice, white tailed antelope squirrels, scorpions and lizards. I can process venomous creatures, but I can't process poison. I feed my young for up to 40 days; it's important for us to have clean food. I have a mate for life and we were designed to thrive together. Please be kind.
Western Fence Lizard
I am your local insect control. I circulate around the perimeters of your home and eat spiders, ants, crickets, flies and other insect species. I easily slip into your bait boxes and ingest poison. Do you know that I spread poison throughout the environment once I am infected? I carry the poison in my liver and spread it throughout the ecosystem contaminating rocks and plants for other species. This poses a threat for the desert tortoise who is an endangered species. My role, very often overlooked, is essential. Roadrunners, snakes and raptors also feed off of me. Please practice kindness and keep the desert clean.