It happens every year, the great coot debate. Ask any curmudgeon and they’ll suggest murder. “I’m inconvenienced by the waste so killing them is appropriate.” “Let’s round them up and feed them to zoo animals.”

Really?

What if we did that every time we were inconvenienced? Bad drivers, cell phone talkers, babies crying on airplanes, road crews, let’s round them up and feed them to zoo animals! That’s not only unethical, it’s absurd.

Taking the life of another is never the right answer. Coots, like the rest of us, like to live here. Why not? We have a beautiful lake that attracts the two-legged, four-legged, winged, shelled and finned alike.

“Life” makes Fountain Park tick. If we profess to be “superior beings,” it means we have an obligation to protect all species who call the park home. It’s shameful to even consider extermination. We need to adopt a sensible, humane solution of peaceful coexistence, not death.

There are volunteers who pick up litter, crews who maintain public restrooms and empty trash cans. Why don’t we employ a few folks to sweep sidewalks or scoop poop? Or volunteers? I’ll raise my hand if it means saving the lives of the birds.

Let’s do what’s right and preserve life in our park. Contrary to some opinions, we are not the most important creatures in town nor do we have the right to destroy our cohabitants, no matter how “inconvenienced” we are. Maybe we should declare open season on curmudgeons instead?