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News > January 2007 > Tender
Moments
 Tender
Moments
by Angela Grimes, Director of Operations
Each day at Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation
is filled with miracles. Many, I must assume, take place with
no human eyes there to witness them, but every now and again
the animals allow us a peek into their world and let us see
some touching moments. I would like to share a few of these
with you.
WRR is home to twenty domesticated geese.
They can be seen roaming the property, usually in gaggles
of three or four. They walk, sleep, and play in the pools,
but we have never seen them fly like their wild brethren.
A few weeks ago, a wild goose flew onto the property. He had
never been seen around here before, and we can only guess
that he saw it as a friendly territory where he might be able
to rest and have a bite to eat before continuing his journey.
One of the local groups of geese has adopted him as their
own and he can always be seen in their midst. Last week we
were fortunate enough to glimpse this small flock do something
rare and new. The wild goose was making his way toward the
Water Bird Pond area of the sanctuary. He, of course, was
doing so airborne. Suddenly the inspiration was too much for
others to resist. The large-bodied, snowy white domesticated
geese mustered their long lost wild behavior and after a few
minutes of honking and a great flapping of wings, they too
took to the sky, followed their wild companion and flew for
several exhilarating minutes. It was a grand sight and no
doubt an even grander experience for the usually ground-dwelling
birds. We can only imagine that the wild goose who stopped
in had inspired them and reminded these geese of their natural
abilities that had seemingly been bred out of them.
 Winter
time is not one that fills our rehabilitation clinic and fawn
enclosure with youngsters in need of help — that season
will be here soon as spring and summer approach. During this
time of year, we do, however, have an occasional orphaned
Axis fawn, and always injured adults who have been run out
of the safety of their wooded homes by hunters, hit by cars,
and all too often, caught in fences. One such buck was brought
to WRR about a week ago. He had a broken back leg and was
placed in a quiet, dark shelter in the deer yard to recuperate.
In the meantime, we had also taken in a yearling doe who had
been kept as a "pet." While she adjusted to life
outdoors, free from the unnatural confines of someone's garage,
the older buck rested in his area. When the time came to allow
the buck to stretch his legs and regain his strength, his
door was opened to the yard where the doe resides. The gentle
female, who had not seen another deer since being taken from
her mother, walked gingerly up to the scared and hurting buck
and began licking his face to calm him. There is no doubt
that she knew he needed the comfort of her caring touch and
she was in turn comforted by the nearness of one of her own
kind.
 And
lastly, it is always a happy day when one of the domesticated
cats finds a permanent home. Finding the perfect, loving home
for all of the rescued cats here at WRR is an ongoing goal
for us and a serious need for them. Often cats with FIV or
feline leukemia are overlooked and considered unadoptable
by the most people. These loving cats are not different than
the others; they simply require an all-natural diet, nutritional
supplements, and loving people to tend to their needs. We
had one such cat, Mau, a feline leukemia-positive girl who
is very loving and cuddly, but because of her illness, we
were resigned to the fact that she might never be adopted.
Happily, this was not the case for Mau. She was adopted last
Saturday by a young couple, and she is doing well in her new
home, with a warm bed to sleep in next to her family and plenty
of petting and love all her own.
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