As urban dwellers we tend to suppress our awareness of the degree to which we share space with other creatures. If we were to make a physical cut – a cross-section through our house for instance, imagine what multitudes we would find embedded in its fabric – and if we were seriously to extend that awareness to our gardens, our sense of being ‘outnumbered’ would be profound.
I followed the fox into the shed and here I am. Actually, I have been following your work a bit since Nanoq Flatout and Bluesome and will be probably be talking about those UK polar bear taxidermies at the fall 2011 American Anthropological Association meeting in Montreal (assuming my panel gets accepted). Today I was reading the interview with Mark Wilson in last summer’s Antennae and made my way to the Radio Animal website.
I love the concept of Radio Animal for so many reasons, not the least of which is my 5-year experience with urban wildlife in Houston, Texas. It amazed me the interspecies encounters people have daily in the urban environment but somehow manage to hold at arm’s length. Commitment to coexistence isn’t easy!
Carry on with your good work!
Stephanie S. Turner
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Wisconsin, USA