“In those days we had never heard of passing up a chance to kill a wolf. In a second, we were pumping lead into the pack, but with more excitement than accuracy: how to aim a steep downhill shot is always confusing. When our rifles were empty, the old wolf was down, and a pup was dragging a leg into impassable slide-rocks.
Happy Mental Health Awareness Month!
That statement seems a little ironic, doesn’t it?
"Full Circle." Those two words could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending upon circumstances. If one gets lost in the woods and winds up back where they began, that's a bad thing. If one finds themselves in-and-out of a toxic relationship, constantly back at the stage when it derailed, that is a bad thing. If, however, you are an Eastern Screech-Owl who lands at The Wildlife Center of Virginia, well, “full circle” is not necessarily a bad thing.
An international crime spree is being committed, one which is estimated to be worth anywhere from 7-23 billion dollars annually. This crime is happening everywhere, from Brazil to Thailand, Tanzania to Turkey, and yes, even right here in Virginia. The crime in question: the illegal trade in wildlife. This illegal trade is one of the most costly illegal activities in the world, moving living animals, and parts of deceased ones, across a global network of organized crime.
Eyes open. October 8th, 2020. I didn’t want this day to come. Twelve hours from now it will all be over and I will be left not exactly knowing what I am waking up for. For the last three months that hadn’t been a problem. The fawns needed browse, the box turtles needed to be taken out to soak, the raptors needed to be exercised - staying in bed wasn’t an option. The patients were counting on me. But tomorrow? Tomorrow, my externship in Wildlife Rehabilitation at the Wildlife Center of Virginia will be over.
A couple of folks have asked me why I did not write a year-end blog post, like so many of my colleagues did. The answer is simple; as the saying goes, “Hindsight is always 20/20”, or in this case 2020. I would rather share my foresight and talk about the year ahead—our 2021 vision!
I’m grateful for my colleagues who have helped make that possible. I’m grateful for the courage, commitment, and resiliency of my colleagues who have gone into the Center.
Reading through all of the Year In Review posts so far though, I’ve noticed a trend; sure, life is wacky and crazy right now, but some things haven’t changed.
Sometimes, though, we find a way to make a special moment out of the circumstances we are handed.
2020 will be remembered for a lot of things, but for me, it will be remembered as a year of saying good-bye.
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