The Power of the Volunteer...
I took some time off and went fishing in the Mississippi River here in St. Paul yesterday. No luck, but I was lucky enough to spot a volunteer releasing a young Peregrine Falcon near the High Bridge in St. Paul, MN.
After the bird flew off, I walked over and talked to the woman who had released it for a few minutes. She's a volunteer handler at the local Raptor Rescue center here. That center has over 500 volunteers, who work to care for and rehabilitate injured wild raptors. It's a wonderful thing that they do, and if it weren't for the many volunteers who work there, the center couldn't do its work, and raptors that could be saved would die.
The professional, paid staff is very small, and depends on the veterinary school at the University of Minnesota for medical care, but there is tons of work to do for the volunteers, and they make all the difference. This, not PETA stunts, is what really helps animals.
I have nothing but praise for the very nice woman I met yesterday, and for the work she and others are doing.
Brava!
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