A friend asks: “what are you doing for fun these days?”. Pip answers: “one thing that happens a lot is going hunting with a neighbor usually after dark” With a perplexed tone the friend says: “hunting”? With a twinkle in his eye, Pip replies: “yes, hunting for humans”. A more perplexed friend says: “WHAT?!!!!!!
In the winter of 2020 when the covid pandemic spread everywhere, many people stayed close to home. In a neighborhood of South Elmwood in South Providence, Pip began walking slowly with his neighbor Bobbie around the neighborhood usually after sunset and talking with people along the way. This adventure turned into an almost nightly adventure, year round.
This is their fifth year of hunting for humans and Bobbie and Pip have gotten to know most of their neighbor’s first names and the names of their dogs too. They have a map of the houses in the neighborhood with people’s first names on the houses.
Even if a response from someone is a Hello or a wave, we count the person as one victim (a little humor adds gaiety to the walk). Though it may sound otherwise, Hunting for Humans is a truly nonviolent sport and heightens one’s sense of community and love. Usually more words are spoken and people enjoy these encounters.
What is commonplace in this culture is that many people do not communicate much with one’s neighbors – no wonder that loneliness is an epidemic. Hunting for Humans changes all of this. Walking slowly is peaceful too.
Moostache, a feral cat, sometimes follows them for this four-block hunt and then leads them home. Once in a while, two other cats join in the hunt too.
Happy Hunting.
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