Aug 11, 2008

We're not out of the woods ! ;-) On n’est pas sortis de l’auberge! ;-)

Remember I posted this picture last summer!
Well ! a week ago, while I was visiting the Allendale farm in Brookline (at the border of Boston), I spotted two coyotes hunting in this field just a few steps from a busy road.
Looking at their size and shape, I first thought they were collie dogs! All wrong!
Coyotes are considered to be one of the most adaptable animals in the world. Mostly because of the interesting food available in the form of dog and cat food left outside or all kind of trash and open garbage, these wild animals loose their natural fear of human and establish their new territories in suburban areas.
Keeping wildlife will depend upon us! Otherwise we're not out of the woods!
And maybe soon we could see coyotes walking in single line through Central Park or at the end of a leach with the tail tucked into their legs… ;-)


Souvenez-vous ! J’avais posté cette photo l’été dernier.
Eh bien, alors que je visitais récemment la ferme Allendale à Brookline (à la limite de Boston), j'ai croisé deux coyotes qui chassaient dans ce champ à quelques pas d'une route passante. Vu leur taille et leur forme, je croyais voir deux chiens colley. Tout faux !
Les coyotes sont considérés dans le monde comme une des espèces qui s’adaptent le mieux à l'environnement. En laissant traîner dehors de la nourriture pour chiens et chats, ou toutes sortes de déchets ou de poubelles ouvertes, ces aninaux sauvages perdent leur crainte naturelle de l’homme et établissent leur nouveaux territoires dans les banlieues.
Maintenir la vie sauvage ne tient qu’à nous ! Ou alors? Nous se sommes pas sortis de l’auberge! Et l'on pourrait bien voir des coyotes marcher à la queue leu leu dans Central Park ou peut-être au bout d’une laisse, la queue entre les jambes… ;-)


French Expression in context / Expression française en contexte



1.On n'est pas sortis de l'auberge! " (lit: We're not out of the inn!).
We're not out the woods!
Origin: This expression comes from prisoners.
In argot the term "une auberge" (an inn) designates the jail.
Actually, in the present case, coyotes are precisely wandering out of the woods!

2.marcher à la queu leu leu" : (lit: to march at the tail of the wolf )
to walk in single line.
Origin : The word “leu” (from latin root “lupus”) is the old medieval word for “loup”(wolf) This word was used until the 16th century.
The expression "à la queue leu leu" is, in fact, a short cut for « à la queue (du) leu (le) leu» ( at the tail of the wolf, the wolf) to indicate that wolves in the pack move in single file, one after another.


8 comments:

Katie said...

Welcome back! Wow, this is quite an amazing photo of a coyote. I wonder what it was looking at. Pretty green field and fence as well. And thanks for the new French phrase! I've written it down and hope to use it next month when I'm in Paris.

Olivier said...

content de ton retour, beau post sur comment survivre quand on est un animal.
"une laisse, la queue entre les jambes" j'ai bien peur, qu'un jour avoir un coyote sera à la mode ;o(

Bergson said...

content de ton retour, j'espère que les vacances furent excellentes

ta photo me fais penser à la fable le chien et le loup

alice said...

Coucou Dorothée, ravie de te lire à nouveau!
Les coyotes à Boston, les ours au Canada, les renards en France...et toujours les comportements des humains à l'origine de ces problèmes...

Lori said...

Coucou Dorothée, glad you are back! That green field couldn't be more beautiful. Summer in all its glory. (Last year I think there was a coyote spotted in Central Park, not sure how he got there. I think they moved him to a place where he could roam.)

Anonymous said...

Yes! I can see it.
Great shot!

Alexander
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

Anonymous said...

I will write this comment here even though it really belongs to a posting you wrote 2 years ago... on Fort Warren. Funny that I am searching for information on Vauban related to Fort Warren (because I love history) and I find information written by a native French person... just like me... living in the US just like me. well, anyway, your readers might then be interested in my latest article (in English and in French) about the French history (from the time of New France) in New York state and Vermont... http://www.travel-vermont.net/2008/08/lake-champlain-new-france/
... fascinating when you start learning about it. And they may be interested to know that we are planning an historic tour on the subject next summer... afterall Boston is only 3 hours away...

Anonymous said...

AHAHA !
C'est encore moi !
(Dorothée c'est bien Alex parfois)
Tiens, dis moi STP à l'occasion comment traduire p'tit loup en anglais !

Lorsque nous étions sur le Coastal Trail qui mène au Golden Gate Bridge, nous avons lu ce panneau : "do not approach or feed coyotes"