Helping Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation, Inc.

Each time we hear the story of the old man walking along the beach, we are reminded that together we all can really make a difference.  For those of  you who are not familiar with the story it goes like this:

“An old man is walking along the beach with his grown son.  The tide is out and as the men walk, the father occasionally reaches down to pick up a stranded sand dollar.  Each sand dollar is lovingly tossed back into the sea  for a second chance at life.  The son, sounding more than a little irritated, asks his father, ‘why are you doing that? There must be thousands of those on the beach.  You can’t possibly throw enough back to make any difference.’  The father picks up another sand dollar throws it back into the  ocean, and replies, ‘it made a difference to that one’.”

Each and every one of us must find our own motivation for what we do and why.  We at SCWR want to make a difference in Wyoming’s wildlife.  We personally, have had times when it all seemed useless.  However, when we experience the joy of releasing a wild animal back into the wild, we truly believe, as the old man did in the poem, that maybe, just maybe, we are making a difference to Wyoming’s wildlife. 

We would like to share one of those experiences with you.   The morning after a stormy summer night, Ken Johnson was walking his dog on their property in the Pedro Mountains; his dog alerted him to a small fuzzy ball at the base of a 40' pine tree.  Mr. Johnson realized this was probably one of the nestling owls that were nesting in that tree. The owl must have been blown out of his nest.  Mr. Johnson took his barking dog back into the house and retrieved the owl.   He probably did not realize what he had just done would make a difference in the survival for the owl.  He contacted us and we drove out to an area near his ranch to meet him and retrieve the nestling. Mrs. Johnson visited once during rehabilitation to see how their owl was progressing.  On the day of release back at the nesting site, many cameras were ready for the big event.  The owl flew straight out of the box and over Mrs. Johnson’s head and into the trees.

The Johnson’s saved this little owl because it was a life worth saving.  They did not expect anything in return but what they did get was priceless.  Now every time they see a long-eared Owl, they will wonder if it is their owl.  They live with the knowledge that they made a difference, at least to this one. 

You to can make a difference for injured, sick or orphaned wildlife by reporting them or taking them to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. We welcome your questions and concerns.  To see how you can help in other ways, please see links to Care Adoption of Bird/Mammal, Care Adoption of a Foster Parent/Education Ambassador, Animal Care and Medical Supplies, Food and Vitamins, General Items, Office Supplies, and Someday Wish List pages.

Monday, January 22, 2007