Do some good in the world and you'll be happier and learn more for it.
I don't have @papa-pepper's snakes or turtles in my concrete jungle, but I help animals when I can, and usually in subtle ways I don't write about.
An example I recently documented was trying to save 3 baby birds, where only 1 survived. It's a great read with plenty of pics. The bird association I took it to called a few weeks ago to confirm that the Starling had matured enough to be reintroduced back into the wild on June 5th. That made me happy.
So what happened here??
Last night, I found a little creature that was surely doomed if it wasn't for me.
I had just started my curb recycling walk and found this scene on the sidewalk.
The poor little mouse was stuck in the glue trap. To make matter worse, his deceased counterpart under the face I made was motivation to fight for life.
Unfortunately, this mouse was never getting out of this mess on its own.
The glue was shockingly strong, but I'm not one to make excuses when the right thing needs to be done.
Many people freak out when they see a mouse, but I never understand that irrational fear. They're just little furballs that mean no harm, trying to survive as we all are.
Since my conscience is too strong, there was no other option other than freeing it. I knew it'd be difficult, but any and all life is worth fighting for.
Let's Begin.
The glue was all over its body, fur, feet and toes. Thankfully I was able to slowly remove it without causing any damage to the fragile creature.
My gloves had several bite marks in them before the mouse finally realized I was there to help...
As with the 3 fledgling Starlings I held, it's a powerful feeling when two species speak the same language... help, hope, protection, comfort, cooperation, and life.
There's a distinct moment when the flight panic turns into a mutual understanding. The fact that this spans multiple species is both fascinating and inspiring. It's almost like ESP.
Working together now... The more it cooperated, the more freedom and alive it could feel. I also took time to pet it gently throughout the process so it knew I had good intentions.
Even though he looks good here, his underside was a mess. He wouldn't have been able to survive because things would've repeatedly gotten stuck to the glue to prevent full mobility and protecting itself. Its hind legs were completely stuck to each other, or would be as soon as they touched again if I didn't fully clear them.
I made sure I finished what I started properly so I knew with certainty that it'd be fine.
Finally!!
It took 30 minutes.
There was still some glue left between its toes, but it was able to run (to survive) and would chew it off when it was ready.
Nothing seemed damaged, mainly because I worked very carefully and slowly. Rushing anything could've done more harm than good on this little guy who had already been through a lot of struggle before I got there.
I also learned this lesson from the two birds who died from the combination of their internal injuries and the shock/trauma from the experience. I needed to make sure that the trauma was as minimal as possible to increase its chances of longevity.
After letting the little fella go, it just hung around in this spot with me next to it. It didn't flee like most would. It wasn't scared of me.
That trust was moving.
After we parted ways, I walked around for two hours to save unnecessary waste to further help our environment and make some money. Just trying to do good when most others turn a blind eye or don't care.
Some people call mice rodents or pests. I see them as a form of life.
When there's a common bond built over preserving life, it's easy to see the bigger picture.
Please use humane kill-free traps.
Where my soft spot probably comes from:
I loved this book when I was a kid, so his name is Ralph just like his literary counterpart.
Again, do some good in the world and you'll be happier and learn more for it.
One day it'll all come around, I hope.
Thanks for reading,
@steemmatt