As in Wildlife that is! I was traipsing through the park
again, (I know, HUH!!!), looking for a trail to follow and what do you know I found one! I seen this small sign that said "
Shasta Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation"! Kewl! I knew that was were I was going!
First thing, I find out there is NO TOURS!! What??! Oh NOOOO! Turns out that unfortunately their permits do not allow for tours! Since their primary mission is for rehabilitation and they are dealing with "wild" animals, they need to try to limit the contact they have with humans. Dagnabbitt!! Oh, well, it does not detract in any way the greatness of what they are doing here in any way! It just makes it less exploitable! Most people have a desire to see cute little furry things when they are needing to make a connection. So it just makes it harder to solicit for donations! :)
Anyhoo... I had the privilege of talking to a woman, Mary Anne, that was so enthused by her job you could see it in her face. She virtually lit up as she talked to me about the animals and how they work with them and help heal the wounds and prepare them for their ultimate return "home".
She was currently working with a baby crow, that apparently did not know how to feed itself yet, and I was taken aback by the size of this bird! It was huge! It was hard to believe when she told me he was only (4) four weeks old!! What? Wow! It was pretty cool watching as she patiently grabbed a squirming grub thing and held it up to his beak, taunting and teasing him with it to force his attempt at trying to grab it! I found myself cheering as he actually did grab it and toss it back for the
first time!! YAYAYAYAY!! Then he made an even more proven point of his coming of age by flapping his wings and landing across the hallway!! HaHaHA! Now she will be on the run!! :)
What a very worthy cause this is! I was amazed by what they do at this little facility and would really love to see if there isn't some way to get the word out for them! They are the ONLY wildlife rescue in Northern Calif. If someone or something tangles with the wildthings, this is where they end up. I did notice they are a little prejudiced about bats and skunks though! :)
One thing I learned by visiting the website for them
here, I did discover there is a benefit art show coming up for them,
INFO, so I will be trying to pump it up for them! I know that since the TB Caldwell Park Art Festival has been canceled this year a lot of artists are looking for alternative venues!
Artists Application, At only $40, this is a great bargain price for an opportunity to show your work, sell some pieces (they don't even keep any of your $$/sales here folks!!) and help out some really awesome people doing an excellent job in a little publicized cause!! "0