Bear Traps
"You know, bears don't have thumbs," Jodi said to her father. They were trying, again, to rig up their garbage containers to prevent the neighborhood black bears from making a mess. "So how can they untie ropes? I just don't get it."
"It's not that simple," Dad said, pulling apart the wooden lid they had hoped would keep the bears out this time. "They know there is food in here. They've been here several times, and each time there was something good. They will work at something until it gives them what they want."
"Well, how are we supposed to defeat them, if that is true?" Jodi asked.
"It might be best not to think of it as a war we have to win," Dad said, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. It was a hot day, and the damp, humid, bug-infested air was not helping with anyone's patience. "A rope can be shredded with claws," Dad said, holding up the frayed remaining strands of the rope they had used to tie the lid down. "This clearly didn't work," he said, "but that doesn't mean we won't find something that will. A chain, perhaps?"
"Well, then won't they just find another weak spot?" Jodi fiddled with the frayed rope. All the little strands were separated, broken, shredded into bits. The rope had once been strong and whole. Used to tie their boat anchor, it had been quite secure when they had left the garbage cans out last night.
"Yes. They will find another weak spot," Dad said. "And we will find a way to fix that, and we'll play this little game until it just gets too hard for them to get this food. Then they will go somewhere else or go back to what they should be eating."
"Well, if I have to pick up little bits of shredded garbage from the yard one more time," Jodi started, "I may volunteer to stand guard over the cans to keep them away."
Jodi had spent one too many mornings picking up the tiniest morsels of aluminum foil, paper napkins, and other bits of trash from the yard. She had grown to hate waking up for fear that she'd have a mess to clean up. She fell to sleep listening out for the rumble in the garbage bins that was a sure sign bears were visiting. Bears had become such a part of her life that she couldn't remember what it was like before.
"Well, that's not going to happen," Dad said. "You have to remember, while they may just seem like a nuisance, they are dangerous." He checked the bolt at the back of the wooden rack that held the garbage cans. "Besides, that would be very boring."
The bears had been a nuisance, but Jodi secretly admired them. They were clever. They never gave up. They waited for an opportunity and then made the most of it. Their neighbors all had stories of the messes left and damage done by the local bears. When they talked, Jodi always felt like someone should speak up to defend the bears. This was their home first, she wanted to tell everyone.
"Well, I wouldn't mind seeing one," she said.
"You will. They are here to stay. It's actually reassuring to me that they have made such a comeback in this part of the world. Maybe the Florida panther has a chance too," said Dad.
With all the work they'd done to deal with the bears, Jodi had only caught glimpses of them. She knew they were there; she'd seen the damage. They were always gone by the morning.
Dad had cleared all the rope away and replaced a torn board. "I'm going to get that dock chain and some locks. Be right back."
Jodi finished gathering up bits of rope scattered around the yard. She filled her hands and was walking back to throw her gatherings away. She felt an odd pulse of soft strangeness behind her, like the feeling you get when you know someone is there before you see them.
She knew almost as she was turning to look what she would see. The culprit, the source of all her clean-up efforts. And, amazingly, her three babies. Sitting at the edge of the woods across the highway, they were a safe distance away, for both Jodi and the family. Jodi felt a prickle of excitement, but no fear. The cubs stayed close to their mother, as if they were still attached. Jodie wondered if the mother was hoping to see what new strategies they would use to keep her out.
The moment didn't last long. Dad's return with the chain must have been enough to raise the mother's concerns. Before Jodi could even point them out to her Dad, they had gone. Jodi knew it would be a secret she would keep. Somehow the idea of babies made picking up the morning trash much more pleasant.
"This should do it," Dad said as he locked the chain on to the first bolt. "Let's see a bear rip this apart."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Jodi said, knowingly. "We'll probably be right here tomorrow morning doing the same thing."
Which of the following states the theme of "Bear Traps"?
A balance must exist between humans and nature.
Appearances can sometimes be deceiving.
Family will always come first.
Friendship always overcomes obstacles.