If it were legal, I would leave my body to wildlife, so the animals who depend on carrion to survive could strip my bones clean.

My life has been so enhanced and blessed by animals, it’s a shame that I’m not allowed, by law, to have my remains placed in a remote area and left for wildlife to utilize.

I wonder if such a thing has ever been considered and, if not, why?

I know that some Native American tribes elevated their deceased tribe members on platforms for the elements (including aerial beings) to consume.  I don’t know if that’s still allowed, but if it is, it’s the closest I can come to what I would like to have done with my body when I’m finished with it.

At the moment, I plan to buried naturally — that is, in a shroud and put directly six feet underground — but that isn’t quite what I truly prefer, either. I want to directly nourish wildlife pretty much right away. Wildlife is under such dire conditions, given the loss of habitat and the poisons we have poured into the atmosphere and waterways,  I want to make amends, although I have done my best to defend and support critters all of my life.

BODY FARMS

Other than natural burials (aka green burials), there are forensic body farms, but they don’t place bodies in natural surroundings so animals can consume them. They place them in all kinds of natural-type surroundings but they want the bodies unmolested to they can watch how they decompose naturally in the environments they place them in (swamps, deserts, frozen, etc.). So, that isn’t it.

I know humans have buried their dead since time immemorial.  Not only was it sanitary, but most cultures believe in an afterlife and so the bodies were prepared in many ways to remain available to their loved ones in the afterlife.  I don’t subscribe to that philosophy.  Even if there is such a thing as reincarnation, we don’t come back in the same body. The body is a vehicle, not our essence.

I’d like to find a solution — even extra-legal, if necessary — to be able to leave my body to the elements and to the creatures who rely on carrion to survive. To me, doing so wouldn’t be sacrilege; it would be enormously sacred and in accordance with my fondest wishes and deepest desire.

I’m going to keep looking for legal options…

UPDATE: Ahhh!  Here’s a local option (Seattle) that comes very close to what I want. I will let my loved ones know about it.

https://recompose.life/death-care/