The Rescue- Part 2

As I drove up the steep gravel driveway I wondered if I was doing the right thing. Would this place take the time, medicine and most of all money to help such a small creature? After all it was just a baby rabbit, there were plenty of them around, it wasn’t as though they were an extinct or rare species. Would these people really do as they said, or would they simply send me on my way and then put the poor creature out of its misery? I guess I would soon find out.

At the top of the hill, the view was incredible. All we could see at first was a crystal blue sky and nothing else. Then we flattened out and there was the most awe inspiring meadow and then wooded land that I have ever seen. It seemed to be right out of an Ansel Adams portrait. If nothing else it took my breath away. I pulled in front of a wornout, paint-peeling gate and looked around. The place was quiet except for the calls of birds, at least one sounding like a hawk screeching. We tried the gate, but it was locked. My children and I walked around to what we thought was the actual entrance, but that door was also locked and the inside was empty and covered with a fine layer of dust. This office definitely was unused. We started back for the car when we heard the gate groan open and an attractive young woman said,

“I thought I heard a car pull up. May I help you?”
I gently removed the carrier from the car and followed her through the gate explaining, that I had called earlier about an injured baby rabbit from a cat attack. She knew right away who I was.
As I followed her to the office we passed by several cages. Was that a bobcat I just passed? I think I saw a fox too. I’d have to ask her about that.

There was a small amount of paper work to fill out- where I had found the animal, what might have happened to it, if I had fed it, etc. So while I filled in the answers the other volunteer took my children on a tour of the residents. After they left, I asked Loretta about the baby rabbit, would it be okay? She carefully removed him from the carrier and placed him in a large glass aquarium, where he immediately began to hop around on three legs to find a way out.

“Well, he seems healthy enough, let’s just hope that the antibiotics stop any infection he might have received from the cat.”

“Do you think the leg will heal correctly? It seems like quite a nasty break.”

“If you notice, he is getting along without it now, but we will try to set it and see what happens.” She was a bit clinacle sounding, but seemed sincere. "I guess we really won't know until it heals."

“Thanks, he’s so little. I was afraid that maybe I was just prolonging the inevitable.”

“No, what you did was commendable. Not many people would put themselves between an angry cat and its prey. Cats can be vicious, especially ones allowed to roam, it’s their natural instinct. He looks like he will be fine though. Thank you for taking the time to bring him in to us. Would you like to see some of our residents?”

Of course I did.

Approaching the enclosures I was stunned. In front of me as proud as if they were sitting up high in the trees of Montana, were two gorgeous bald eagles. Yes, Eagles. These poor majestic creatures were there by the hands of man, by a bullet to be exact. The eagle by the name of One Wing had been shot off the top of an electrical tower. Never again would this beautiful bird, a symbol of our country, ever fly again.

In cages nearby there were red-tailed hawks, peregrine falcons, turkey vultures and several breeds of owls, most of them there by the hands of man. The look in their eyes was troubling; they seemed both thankful and regretful. Never again would they be free to soar in the skies alone, they were teachers now, destined to try to right the wrongs of man. Not a bad life, just not exactly what they had planned. The enclosures I had passed on my way in each had their own story to tell.

First was the fawn. He had been rescued when his mother had been struck and killed by a car. A pet lop-eared rabbit was his companion for now, just to keep him company. With the strong possibility of release back to the wild, the fawn was not given a name, only permanent residents received names.

Their neighbor was a playful river otter named Misu. Swimming in her pool, you would never had known that there was anything wrong with her. Then she loped over to say “hi” and her infliction became apparent. Misu had only three legs, the front left limb had been caught in a leg trap and in trying to free herself had destroyed the leg altogether. After many hours of reconstructive surgery on her jaw, and amputation of her leg, she is now a permanent resident of Hawk Creek and is currently in training for educational programs.

Spike, the porcupine, was in the next cage. My children later told me that he had also been hit by a car. He was terribly shy and stayed to the shadows in the back of the enclosure. His neighbors were the foxes.

These two beautiful creatures had their own tragic tales to tell. Henna, the female had been rescued from becoming a pet (which is against the law) and is now in training to educate the public if the trainers can keep her attention long enough! The male, Red, on the other hand had previously been an occupant at a fur farm. When it became apparent that his fur was not “coat quality” they decided to cut their losses and put “him down“; fortunately for him someone came to his rescue and now at the age of fourteen he is the companion to Henna and a teacher himself.

The final enclosure I was to see stole my heart. Being a large cat lover I knew these creatures were not normally spotted in their natural environment and yet they were here because of human interference. The two bobcats, Whisper and Thunder were as playful as kittens. Whisper had arrived from Southern California back in May of 1997 and was now being used to offset some of the animosity displayed toward predators like herself by being used in educational programs. Thunder was rescued more recently from becoming a pet and was now being trained along side of Whisper. I was amazed by the gentleness of these magnificent animals, and could strangely see why someone might attempt to try to domesticate them. Then I was reminded that they were being fed raw meat as treats from the end of a pole, not exactly how you would feed a kitten. These incredible animals were not meant to be here, but Hawk Creek would do everything in their power to help them and others like them.

As we left, I was encouraged to follow up on the care and treatment of the baby rabbit. I was only asked to give them a week or so to let him begin to heal, so that they wouldn’t be giving out false hope. The week in waiting seemed to last forever...

One week later, exactly, my children and I typed in Hawk Creek’s website- www.hawkcreek.org.
The pictures that came up astounded me. Here was a black bear cub that had been rescued from not far from were I live. Someone had tried to make it a pet! Would people never learn! The other picture was tragic also, but not man inflicted, thankfully. A poor hawk was so intent upon catching his dinner that he had flown and become entangled in a tree. Both bear and hawk were now being cared for at Hawk Creek. I clicked on the contact line and left a note regarding the baby rabbit. Two days later I received the good news. The little guy was responding well to the antibiotics and his leg was in a splint. They were still unsure if he would regain the use, but most likely he would be released on their land when he was well enough.

I am so glad that we were able to help that poor injured rabbit, and in doing so I was able to show my children the beauty and tragedy of these amazing creatures. I know that they will hold this experience dear to their hearts and pass on their love for these and all wild creatures to all they meet.