What Working at an Animal Rehabilitation Centre Can do for You
- tigercatmariah
- May 2, 2016
- 2 min read
As the summer holidays have now arrived for all University students, I say goodbye to a lot of my friends as we all head off to work. While my friends will enjoy the luxuries of a padded wallet after the summer has ended, I will be still clearing the mud out of my hair without a single penny earned. Now, for a lot of people, volunteering your summer away at an animal rehab for free would make no sense, but for me it is more rewarding than any kind of cash reward. As I end my second day I have already accumulated 26 hours of work with the animals I love so much. This job is not by any means for everyone, but I want to talk about the kinds of things you can achieve through giving up your time for another being.
My hands are still cramped as I write this after feeding baby squirrels for hours on end, but with each little critter I dedicate myself to, my tiredness and pain mean nothing. I know that I'm giving these souls another chance at life. Who can honestly say that they saved hundreds of lives over one summer?! It is a blessing with many lessons that become apparent only when you do this kind of work.
Despite all of the hard work, watching a once emaciated dove slowly return back to a normal weight and take its first bites of food on its own is unlike any other kind of joy, excitement or pride. As these beautiful yet helpless animals gaze into your eyes, you realize how much more there is to life and that our small "human" problems are nothing in the grand scheme of things. These animals come in completely dependent on you and rely on you to save their lives. Can you imagine seeing a five foot tall endangered Trumpeter Swan trusting you with all of its being? To know that not only are you helping these individuals thrive again but also an entire species that truly needs it, makes you feel like you are on top of the world!
Humans are meant to be in nature. We are meant to experience ourselves as part of a whole, interconnected system. Gaining hands on work with animals that we share this system with will enlighten you in many ways you never expected. When a tiny Gosling is stumbling around in your arms, nothing else matters but it. It is an indescribable release from the pressures of human society. So forget about your perfect hair, throw some rubber boots on and go work in an Animal Rehab, what you get out of it will be something you carry for the rest of your life.
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