By William Leroy
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Aesop (620 BC – 560 BC), The Lion and the Mouse
Prologue
I have been blessed with many opportunities over the years. When I consider them all, I have to say that one stands out from all the rest. It has been the opportunity to support the work of Wild At Heart as a volunteer. Like many life changing experiences, I had no idea that working as a wildlife volunteer could impact my life so powerfully. I could spend months trying to describe all the ways that working so support injured birds of prey has changed my life for the better, and deepened me spiritually. Of all the experiences that I have had, two stand out in their uniqueness and personal impacts. The first (of course) was my rescue of the Great Horned Owl, who we latter named Logan. The second was my rescue of an infant Red Tailed Hawk who we latter named Roja’. These experiences are reminders that the most important lessons in life are learned through giving. It is by giving that we receive, and it is our willingness to give, that defines our souls and life paths. It is with this in mind that I share following true story of my experience on that day years ago when I first met Roja’.
The Call for Help
This day had started like any other day. It had been a long week, and I was mentally exhausted. On the bright side, it was a Friday, and I was looking forward to a few days of rest. I spent the morning on the telephone as usual and as the early afternoon approached, I found myself almost completely caught up with paperwork. While I would normally knock off around 5:00 p.m., I was feeling more and more like treating myself and taking the rest of the afternoon off. As usual, the mid-September Arizona weather was warm and beautiful, and I was anxious to step outside with a cold beer and enjoy it.
I had just shut down my computer when the telephone rang. I could see for the caller ID that it was Sam calling. I am ashamed to admit this, but I hesitated because I knew that she would be calling me to assist with a project. I was not ready for this, and I started to justify all of the reasons why I should be allowed to take the rest of the afternoon for myself. I left the telephone in the receiver and got up from my desk to grab a beer and go outside. As I walked down the hallway, I was struck by a growing sense of guilt. Trying to ignore the feeling, I grabbed my beer, stepped outside, and sat down. I had convinced myself that another 15 to 20 minutes would not make a difference either way. I took a sip of beer and closed my eyes, trying to clear my mind and relax. The pangs of conscience returned. Realizing that behaving this way was very selfish, I stood up and walked back into the house and called Sam. She explained that a realtor had called and said that he had noticed a baby hawk lying on the ground near a large saguaro. It had apparently fallen out of its nest, and looked to be in very bad shape. I wrote down the directions which were very vague, grabbed two bottles of water, jumped into my jeep, and I was off.
The Rescue
The general location was about 35 miles from my home and was in an area full of new homes and development. The realtor had advised that the saguaro in question was located about 50 yards due east off of a dirt road that ran along the canal at approximately five miles past where the new construction ends. Great, I thought to myself, another semi accurate set of directions. I fought down my frustration and looked for the entrance to the dirt road. After taking several dirt roads to nowhere, I located what appeared to be the correct one. It was near the canal and was headed south as indicated in the directions. I set my odometer and watched the miles slowly tick by. At five miles I began to look off to the east, and I spotted a large saguaro containing a hawk’s nest. The mother was on top of the saguaro, and a single baby was sitting in the nest. The nest was about 30 feet up, built into the junction of its five giant arms. I pulled over, got out, and walked slowly towards the saguaro.
I was about 50 feet away when I spotted the second infant hawk. It was sitting on the ground at the base of the saguaro. It did not look good. I moved in slowly so as not to startle it. Almost instantly, I heard the piercing cry of the mother hawk. She had spotted me approaching her infant, and she was not happy about it. The mother dove at me, and I had to duck to avoid her outstretched talons. As she rose again into the air, I moved in and picked up the infant hawk. It was a mess.
Completely limp in my hands, it did not struggle at all. Its mouth was full of maggots and obviously infected. It appeared that its tongue was partially eaten away, and it was extremely dehydrated. I placed it in my carrier and turned to walk back to my jeep. I heard a rush of wind, and the mother hawk was at me again. She was a lot closer this time. I ran back to the jeep and jumped inside. I called Sam and advised that I had found the infant, described the species and the situation, and I was off. The mother hawk followed me for over eight miles. She broke off her pursuit as I entered the 17 freeway and headed north back to Carefree Highway and the Wild at Heart hospital in Cave Creek. This particular rescue was one of the most heart-rending experiences I have ever had. I will never forget the piercing sound of the mother hawks voice as I drove away with her infant. The cries of anger, frustration, and despair cut deep within me. I can close my eyes and hear them today.
The Wild At Heart Trauma Room
The drive to Wild at Heart’s hospital was nerve-racking. The infant hawk was near death, and my conscience was screaming at me for dragging my feet and therefore delaying the moment of rescue for this dying baby hawk. I arrived at the hospital and rushed inside to a waiting Sam. I opened the carrier and gasped. The baby hawk had stopped moving. I lifted its head and it hung limp in my hand. My heart sank, and I asked Sam if it was dead. Sam lifted the baby out and placed her on the examination table. “She is alive,” whispered Sam, “but just barely.” Sam and I went to work. We hydrated the hawk immediately and cleaned the maggots from her mouth. This entire process was completed in just minutes to reduce the stress factor. We then placed the infant into a warm, darkened incubator and closed the door. I helped Sam straighten up, said my goodbyes and headed home. I was ashamed of myself.
The Power of Kindness
This experience taught me some hard lessons. By the grace of God I was able to learn and grow for the experience. It took so little from me to produce such a wonderful result. Roja has touched hundreds of lives with her message of hope. She has inspired others to volunteer and give of themselves. She has changed other lives with her fierce beauty and her story restoration. All of this could have been so easily lost if I had refused to help that day. This is a lesson to all of us about the power that one small act of kindness can have upon the world around us. It changed me forever; I hope that this story will become an example for others as well.
About Wild At Heart
Wild At Heart is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and preservation of Arizona’s native wildlife through the rescue and rehabilitation of injured and orphaned birds of prey, relocation of displaced raptors, public education, and habitat enhancement programs. Due to general encroachment into wildlife habitat, much of Arizona’s wildlife heritage is at risk!
Wild At Heart, founded by state and federally licensed wildlife rehabilitators “Sam” and Bob Fox, operates as a nonprofit organization. With the help of volunteers, they care for hundreds of raptors each year, including a wide variety of owls, hawks, and eagles.
Wild At Heart receives NO state or government funding. Its support comes from generous members of the community like you who are concerned about our ever decreasing wildlife habitats in Arizona and worldwide. One hundred percent of all donations go directly to the care of these magnificent birds of prey. Did you know that; $20.00 provides food for one large owl or hawk for two weeks, $50.00 provides antibiotics and medications for the clinic for one week, and $100.00 provides enough for fuel to allow several bird rescues to be made? Donations of any amount are appreciated. Please make checks payable to Wild At Heart. Wild At Heart is a 501(c) 3 organization, Tax I.D. # EIN 86-0770883. For more information and to lean how you can become a Wild At Heart Volunteer, please use the contact information below.
For Additional Information
Mail: Wild At Heart, Inc., 31840 North 45th Street, Cave Creek, AZ 85331
Telephone: (480) 595-5047
Web: http://wildatheartowls.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildAtHeartOwl
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