To Love a Rescuer
To love a rescuer you must love all of her. You must love the scars covering her body from panicked and hurt animals she was trying to help. You must love her fractured heart, that has been broken so many times she no longer even takes the time to mend the pieces.
To love a rescuer you must embrace her grit and determination, and know that although she fights a war she can never win, she can and does win a few battles. You must love the tears she will shed over those she lost. You must give her comfort that she refuses to accept, as she blames herself for things she could have never foreseen.
To love a rescuer you must acknowledge the rage she feels towards the world at times, and know that anger is driven by a love of life too few have. You must give her space and room to cry and mourn for the losses that others have caused out of carelessness or cruelty.
To love a rescuer you must understand her passion to heal and save is a calling, not a choice. You must accept that to save animals is part of her soul and without that she could never be happy.
To love a rescuer you must be patient. You must accept her work comes first. She will forgo sleep, forgo food, forgo her life for animals in need. She will work tirelessly until her body and mind fail her completely and she cannot go on.
To love a rescuer you must be strong. You must not be threatened by her focus and love of animals. You must accept that the things you love about her, the strength and convictions and loyalty are also what drives her sense of duty to animals in need; you cannot have one without the other.
To love a rescuer you must never ask her to choose, because she will, and it will not be you.
Thank you to whomever wrote this.💜
To love a rescuer you must love all of her. You must love the scars covering her body from panicked and hurt animals she was trying to help. You must love her fractured heart, that has been broken so many times she no longer even takes the time to mend the pieces.
To love a rescuer you must embrace her grit and determination, and know that although she fights a war she can never win, she can and does win a few battles. You must love the tears she will shed over those she lost. You must give her comfort that she refuses to accept, as she blames herself for things she could have never foreseen.
To love a rescuer you must acknowledge the rage she feels towards the world at times, and know that anger is driven by a love of life too few have. You must give her space and room to cry and mourn for the losses that others have caused out of carelessness or cruelty.
To love a rescuer you must understand her passion to heal and save is a calling, not a choice. You must accept that to save animals is part of her soul and without that she could never be happy.
To love a rescuer you must be patient. You must accept her work comes first. She will forgo sleep, forgo food, forgo her life for animals in need. She will work tirelessly until her body and mind fail her completely and she cannot go on.
To love a rescuer you must be strong. You must not be threatened by her focus and love of animals. You must accept that the things you love about her, the strength and convictions and loyalty are also what drives her sense of duty to animals in need; you cannot have one without the other.
To love a rescuer you must never ask her to choose, because she will, and it will not be you.
Thank you to whomever wrote this.💜
HIT AND RUN, FAMILY LEFT ON ROADSIDE - Published by Northern Valley Wildlife Support
A baby is fighting for his life in a private ICU after his mum was hit by a car early this morning. The mother suffered a crushed spine and sadly died at the scene of the accident. Her terrified and panic-stricken toddler, who narrowly escaped injury, fled the scene into the nearby bushland. The driver of the car failed to stop. ~
This horrific incident did not make the news. There was no outcry over the loss of life, a family ripped apart and the callous behaviour of the driver.
The irony is that the report is true. A mother died, a baby is in intensive care and an older sibling is missing. The only fact not mentioned, is that they were a family of Western Grey Kangaroos . . .
I can almost hear the collective sigh of relief as everyone returns to their busy daily lives without giving it another thought. Or maybe even the sniggering of some at the ‘ranting and raving’ of yet another ‘bunny-hugger.
Well, I have never been an extremist and fanatics scare me, As a human being I feel compelled to ask, “What makes her life less valuable than mine?” and “What makes the plight of her orphaned children less than that of my own?”
Why is it that we as human beings, a fellow species inhabiting this planet Earth, regard ourselves as the only species worth caring about and worth conserving? Why do we find it so easy to move on from a loss we regard as insignificant? Surely our compassion should encompass all life.
Kangaroos have graced this ancient land for thousands of years, and yet we see it as our right to invade and destroy their habitat, their social structures and their families to make way for our own. No sharing, no caring.
A baby is fighting for his life in a private ICU after his mum was hit by a car early this morning. The mother suffered a crushed spine and sadly died at the scene of the accident. Her terrified and panic-stricken toddler, who narrowly escaped injury, fled the scene into the nearby bushland. The driver of the car failed to stop. ~
This horrific incident did not make the news. There was no outcry over the loss of life, a family ripped apart and the callous behaviour of the driver.
The irony is that the report is true. A mother died, a baby is in intensive care and an older sibling is missing. The only fact not mentioned, is that they were a family of Western Grey Kangaroos . . .
I can almost hear the collective sigh of relief as everyone returns to their busy daily lives without giving it another thought. Or maybe even the sniggering of some at the ‘ranting and raving’ of yet another ‘bunny-hugger.
Well, I have never been an extremist and fanatics scare me, As a human being I feel compelled to ask, “What makes her life less valuable than mine?” and “What makes the plight of her orphaned children less than that of my own?”
Why is it that we as human beings, a fellow species inhabiting this planet Earth, regard ourselves as the only species worth caring about and worth conserving? Why do we find it so easy to move on from a loss we regard as insignificant? Surely our compassion should encompass all life.
Kangaroos have graced this ancient land for thousands of years, and yet we see it as our right to invade and destroy their habitat, their social structures and their families to make way for our own. No sharing, no caring.
Work of wildlife carers worth $6 billion a year
The non-human animal deaths and injuries that result from collisions with motor vehicles are known colloquially as roadkill, and often lead to individuals from various taxa being orphaned. The complexities of multiple spatial and temporal variables in the available data on Australian roadkill and the scale of orphaning and injury make statistical analysis difficult. However, data that offer proxy measures of the roadkill problem suggest a conservative estimate of 4 million Australian mammalian roadkill per year. Also, Australian native mammals are mainly marsupial, so female casualties can have surviving young in their pouches, producing an estimated 560 000 orphans per year. A conservative estimate is that up to 50 000 of these are rescued, rehabilitated and released by volunteer wildlife carers.
These roadkill-associated orphans are in addition to those produced by other anthropogenic and natural events and the injured adult animals in the care of volunteers.
In accepting total responsibility for rescued animals, wildlife carers face many demands. Their knowledge base can require days of initial instruction with the need for continual updates, and their physical abilities and personal health can be tested by sleepless nights, demanding manual tasks and zoonoses.
This review article explores the impact of this commitment and conservatively estimates carers’ financial input to raise one joey at approximately $2000 a year, and their time input at 1000 h, equating to $31 000 per year, applying a dollar value of $31 per hour.
It categorises relevant types of grief associated with hand-rearing orphans and rehabilitating injured animals, and suggests that wildlife carers most likely experience many types of grief but are also susceptible to burn-out through compassion fatigue.
A perceived lack of understanding, empathy and appreciation for their work by government can add to the stressors they face. Volunteering is declining in Australia at 1% per year, social capital is eroding and the human population is aging, while the number of injured and orphaned animals is increasing. Wildlife carers are a strategic national asset, and they need to be acknowledged and supported if their health and the public service they provide is not to be compromised.
A review of roadkill rescue: who cares for the mental, physical and financial welfare of Australian wildlife carers?
Bruce Englefield A B , Melissa Starling A and Paul McGreevy A+ Author Affiliations Wildlife Research 45(2) 103-118 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR17099
The non-human animal deaths and injuries that result from collisions with motor vehicles are known colloquially as roadkill, and often lead to individuals from various taxa being orphaned. The complexities of multiple spatial and temporal variables in the available data on Australian roadkill and the scale of orphaning and injury make statistical analysis difficult. However, data that offer proxy measures of the roadkill problem suggest a conservative estimate of 4 million Australian mammalian roadkill per year. Also, Australian native mammals are mainly marsupial, so female casualties can have surviving young in their pouches, producing an estimated 560 000 orphans per year. A conservative estimate is that up to 50 000 of these are rescued, rehabilitated and released by volunteer wildlife carers.
These roadkill-associated orphans are in addition to those produced by other anthropogenic and natural events and the injured adult animals in the care of volunteers.
In accepting total responsibility for rescued animals, wildlife carers face many demands. Their knowledge base can require days of initial instruction with the need for continual updates, and their physical abilities and personal health can be tested by sleepless nights, demanding manual tasks and zoonoses.
This review article explores the impact of this commitment and conservatively estimates carers’ financial input to raise one joey at approximately $2000 a year, and their time input at 1000 h, equating to $31 000 per year, applying a dollar value of $31 per hour.
It categorises relevant types of grief associated with hand-rearing orphans and rehabilitating injured animals, and suggests that wildlife carers most likely experience many types of grief but are also susceptible to burn-out through compassion fatigue.
A perceived lack of understanding, empathy and appreciation for their work by government can add to the stressors they face. Volunteering is declining in Australia at 1% per year, social capital is eroding and the human population is aging, while the number of injured and orphaned animals is increasing. Wildlife carers are a strategic national asset, and they need to be acknowledged and supported if their health and the public service they provide is not to be compromised.
A review of roadkill rescue: who cares for the mental, physical and financial welfare of Australian wildlife carers?
Bruce Englefield A B , Melissa Starling A and Paul McGreevy A+ Author Affiliations Wildlife Research 45(2) 103-118 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR17099
Through the eyes of an innocent joey.
"The sun at night" It was night, a beautiful night, like every night before. We played and hugged in the cool night air - a change from the day with the heat and the glare. Played 'hop the fence' again and again, Hopping, zig-zagging all the way round.
The shaking ground made me stop to see, What was that noise beyond the trees? That scary noise,.. rumbling in,... getting louder ... with each breath I sucked in. The sun on top, moved like I'd never seen. Scanning our home - left and right with its beam. It looked like day - that big bright light. We all were confused, scared to move - filled with fright. Then everything fell silent, An echoless night.
The sun - shone on Mum So close and so bright One big bang and Mum fell down. What was this light,? Why had it come.? We hopped so high so fast so scared Our hearts breaking whilst leaving our Mum laying there. Into the darkness we stopped to see If it was safe to stay and hide by the trees. We searched around and we couldn't find - All of our family - Had they fallen behind? Then that noise - then really quite - Then the sun - it was "Me" in the light. I could not move - I could not see. This blinding light trapping Me. I heard them hop - but I was down, Why was I laying on the ground.? I tried to move - I couldn't breath. I tasted blood and smelt real fear. What was this creature approaching me, With a handheld sun blinding me. I saw my Mum and family too, Upside down, still and slew. I heard a crack and writhed in pain. My head it hurt - then crack again. I was dizzy,...bloody, bruised. What is happening - I'm so confused. I felt my body being dragged, By the leg across the graze. Through the dirt across the rocks Then dropped and left, creature walking off. Then a strange noise - Grinding.. scraping... tearing skin. What was this noise? What was this thing? Through bloodshot eyes I looked and saw, The creature ripping skin off - right to the claws. My heart it wrenched....I tried to move To help my Mum - to hug Her, to soothe. I struggled to hop, to kick, to stand To stop this creature - To stop this man. I helplessly watched as he cut her head, Her arms, Her tail - All coloured red. One final swipe - and down She came, Body crumpled onto the ground. He held her fur, Her bodies skin Up to the light - then tossed it in.
My heart it ached with grief and horror Knowing I wouldn't see Mum tomorrow. As I cried, my heart totally broken, He turned to me with words unspoken - He heaved me up - the pain - my body... Now strung up just like mummas body. I reeled in pain as he cut his way through, My sinew, my belly, my legs and arms too. Then grabbing a handful of my skin And trapped it in this cold hard thing. Was then I screamed and kicked in pain He was doing the same thing - All over again!!! As I felt my fur being torn from my flesh I fought hard and strong - I tried to fight back. Then I heard one final blunt crack. My night had changed from free to dead
Another trophy..... Nothing said. My life was taken, All for greed To fill some humans selfish "need". Never again to be wild and free My Soul and Spirit taken from Me. They killed my family, and then killed Me What use was I if I wasn't Me? I know those left are scared and are tired, Running from men who just want their hide. Will this senseless murder stop? Our numbers dwindle with every shot. Every night the bad light comes, And steals our lives - Sometimes for fun. We love and feel and are family too, Just like You here, and those next to you. I'm proud to be here, This is My skin, If only My fur, that covered my mortal 'withins'.
If I can be used to help save my kin, Then use me please. PLEASE JUST BEGIN!! Cheryl Fullgrabe 26.03.2018
"The sun at night" It was night, a beautiful night, like every night before. We played and hugged in the cool night air - a change from the day with the heat and the glare. Played 'hop the fence' again and again, Hopping, zig-zagging all the way round.
The shaking ground made me stop to see, What was that noise beyond the trees? That scary noise,.. rumbling in,... getting louder ... with each breath I sucked in. The sun on top, moved like I'd never seen. Scanning our home - left and right with its beam. It looked like day - that big bright light. We all were confused, scared to move - filled with fright. Then everything fell silent, An echoless night.
The sun - shone on Mum So close and so bright One big bang and Mum fell down. What was this light,? Why had it come.? We hopped so high so fast so scared Our hearts breaking whilst leaving our Mum laying there. Into the darkness we stopped to see If it was safe to stay and hide by the trees. We searched around and we couldn't find - All of our family - Had they fallen behind? Then that noise - then really quite - Then the sun - it was "Me" in the light. I could not move - I could not see. This blinding light trapping Me. I heard them hop - but I was down, Why was I laying on the ground.? I tried to move - I couldn't breath. I tasted blood and smelt real fear. What was this creature approaching me, With a handheld sun blinding me. I saw my Mum and family too, Upside down, still and slew. I heard a crack and writhed in pain. My head it hurt - then crack again. I was dizzy,...bloody, bruised. What is happening - I'm so confused. I felt my body being dragged, By the leg across the graze. Through the dirt across the rocks Then dropped and left, creature walking off. Then a strange noise - Grinding.. scraping... tearing skin. What was this noise? What was this thing? Through bloodshot eyes I looked and saw, The creature ripping skin off - right to the claws. My heart it wrenched....I tried to move To help my Mum - to hug Her, to soothe. I struggled to hop, to kick, to stand To stop this creature - To stop this man. I helplessly watched as he cut her head, Her arms, Her tail - All coloured red. One final swipe - and down She came, Body crumpled onto the ground. He held her fur, Her bodies skin Up to the light - then tossed it in.
My heart it ached with grief and horror Knowing I wouldn't see Mum tomorrow. As I cried, my heart totally broken, He turned to me with words unspoken - He heaved me up - the pain - my body... Now strung up just like mummas body. I reeled in pain as he cut his way through, My sinew, my belly, my legs and arms too. Then grabbing a handful of my skin And trapped it in this cold hard thing. Was then I screamed and kicked in pain He was doing the same thing - All over again!!! As I felt my fur being torn from my flesh I fought hard and strong - I tried to fight back. Then I heard one final blunt crack. My night had changed from free to dead
Another trophy..... Nothing said. My life was taken, All for greed To fill some humans selfish "need". Never again to be wild and free My Soul and Spirit taken from Me. They killed my family, and then killed Me What use was I if I wasn't Me? I know those left are scared and are tired, Running from men who just want their hide. Will this senseless murder stop? Our numbers dwindle with every shot. Every night the bad light comes, And steals our lives - Sometimes for fun. We love and feel and are family too, Just like You here, and those next to you. I'm proud to be here, This is My skin, If only My fur, that covered my mortal 'withins'.
If I can be used to help save my kin, Then use me please. PLEASE JUST BEGIN!! Cheryl Fullgrabe 26.03.2018