My first encounter with wildlife was during my work experience at a wildlife sanctuary. After finishing school, I wanted to do something different before continuing my education and going to college. Also, I wanted to practise English. So, I decided to go to Ireland. I did not know much about wild animals, even less about birds of prey. My plan was to become a vet and to work with horses, like, I must admit, what all girls want to do. To go and work at the wildlife sanctuary was more or less a decision of opportunity but it turned out to be the best decision in my life.
Why am I telling you this you may ask yourself? Well I was raised in such a way as to do everything myself, and not to ask for help so that I do not get disappointed. This is how I have lived my life so far, and I came to a point where I tried to accomplish my dream and I failed, so I tried again. I concluded that my dream is too big for one person alone. To achieve this I need help! And not only help from my family and friends (for their help I am grateful, especially the support of my parents and my husband), I need as much help I can get.
But let’s not jump ahead.
I went to Ireland and worked in this amazing sanctuary with people who dedicated their life to rescuing and rehabilitating wild animals, mostly birds of prey. I saw their determination, their love for those creatures, their struggle to keep it going but also their near unbreakable will to give everything to the cause. This centre was and still is run by a family which built their life around the care of wildlife, relying mostly on the help of volunteers. Most of them are biologists but some are vet students, animal keepers or artists. They all shared their knowledge with me, for which I am very grateful.
I learned that caring for wild animals is so different from caring for ordinary pets. Wild animals are obviously wild but they are so much more. As they are not allowed to show any weakness in their natural environment, the do not express their pain. I have seen hedgehogs with ripped off limbs still crawling away, rabbits with pus infected wounds still eating food, and pigeons literally walking on the bare bone after losing one of their feet.
This ability to hide away their pain, makes the diagnostic procedure so much more difficult. But it is also a strength, as wild animals are sometimes more likely to survive things which some pets would struggle with.
A major point in wildlife care is that you have to try and judge the outcome of survival, the chance that the animal can be released into the wild again. That is the ultimate goal, a full recovery and the ability to go back into their natural habitat.
Wild animals should not be kept as invalids in enclosures, just for the sake of keeping them alive, in my opinion. There are very few exceptions where I would consider to keep an invalid animal in captivity. But that is a story for another day. They are wild, they need to be free.
So, this means that working with wildlife you are constantly aware of this doom over your head, a large portion of the animals in your care have to be euthanized because their injuries are too severe, and they cannot be released again. This is the very sad part. It is very crushing and depressing. So why would anybody choose such a profession where you constantly have to make choices like this?
Good question.
For me it is because of there is another side to this work which outweighs everything else: the feeling of accomplishing a full recovery for an animal, the feeling you have when they get released again back to where they belong. To see the ‘awe ‘moment in the animal’s eyes when you set them free and to know that it can be part of the cycle of life again. These animals get another chance to live and to thrive and to keep their species alive.
Because this is what it is about, to save one life, to keep the species alive, to be a part of nature. You get the chance to be a part of this. This is what I learned to be part of and still am.
