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Writer Turns Bunny Killer
By Harriet Cooper
I'm a bunny killer. Worse, I'm an evil torturer. Those cute little floppy-eared
creatures are scratching their eyes out and dying agonizing deaths because of
me. Or rather, because of an article I wrote.
I didn't start out to be a killer, but you've probably heard that before.
There's the quiet guy who wakes up one day and murders his wife. Or the postal
worker that goes berserk and takes out half the mailroom. Now I'm one of them.
It's not the first time one of my articles has stirred up some trouble. My
mother didn't talk to me for a week after I wrote an unflattering article about
my relationship with my sister. A year later, the sister-in-law of a woman I
wrote about threatened to sue me because I said she (the woman, not the
sister-in-law) had a difficult relationship with her brother, a.k.a. the
sister-in-law's husband.
But an angry mother and the threat of a lawsuit pale in comparison to being
accused of murder.
In my defense, the article I wrote for the health magazine was on
environmentally friendly ways to keep pests out of your garden. See, I was
trying to be nice. I didn't advocate pesticides or electric fences or poison
pellets. Instead, after checking out various organic gardening books and
websites, I suggested putting cayenne pepper around plants as protection. The
idea was the smell and taste of the cayenne would irritate animal noses, mouths,
and paws, sending them the message that they are not welcome in the garden.
Pretty humane, I thought. But according to a reader who sent me a strongly
worded note, care of the magazine that passed it along to me, I thought wrong.
Dead wrong.
The reader pointed out if the animals get cayenne pepper in their eyes, they
will scratch out their eyes from the pain. She went on to state: "It's been
known for a long time what the disastrous results are." However, she did not
quote any sources.
After I stopped hyperventilating, I ran to the computer. Calling up
Google on my computer, I typed in various combinations of "cayenne,"
"garden," "deterrent," "side effects," "blindness," and anything else I could
think of. Although I found hundreds of matches, I didn't find a single one that
pointed out blind bunnies or other wildlife as a side effect of its use in the
garden. Several of the
sites that advocated using cayenne pepper were animal welfare sites.
My immediate reaction was vindication. I had done my research when I wrote the
article and had not turned up any ill effects. Now a second, more rigorous
investigation, which specifically emphasized side
effects, had not turned up any links either.
But a small voice in the back of my head whispered, "Are you sure? Are you
really and truly sure? Remember, it's cute little bunnies we're talking about."
I tried to ignore the voice but it persisted. I finally responded with a "Yes,
I'm sure" but my heart wasn't in it.
Writers can never be 100% certain that their advice, no matter how well meant,
won't cause problems. What is accepted today may be disregarded tomorrow as we
learn more. Science changes, methods change, and so does our store of knowledge.
And sometimes writers simply get it wrong.
So, my vindication has a hollow ring to it. I was so upset I was tempted to stop
writing nonfiction articles and go back to my first love-- humor. At least then,
no one takes me seriously and the only thing hurt is my ego when my pieces get
rejected. Then a saner perspective prevailed. I would continue to write
nonfiction. I would continue to do research to back up my statements. But I
would also remember that words, like actions, have consequences.
Just to make sure, I put a copy of the letter on my bulletin board-- as a
reminder.
As for the magazine I wrote the article for? It went under after another issue
or two. Now I have to add magazine-killer to my list of attributes.
Harriet Cooper is Toronto writer specializing in family relationships, cats,
psychology, fitness, and health issues. Her humor, creative nonfiction, essays,
articles, and poems have appeared in newspapers, anthologies, magazines,
newsletters, and on radio.
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