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    Of Bullies and Bandaids
    Of Bullies and Bandaids
    Of Bullies and Bandaids
    Ebook117 pages1 hour

    Of Bullies and Bandaids

    By Jacqueline Carl

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    About this ebook

    The saga of an imprint vulture, with one foot in the wild, the other irrevocably among humans. Is he a harbinger of death, or a reminder of renewal?

    From the nonfiction book, Whispers from the Wild: Stories from a Wildlife Center--one of a collection of feel-good tales about animals, their myth and magic, and how they change, and are changed by, the people they come into contact with.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJacqueline Carl
    Release dateAug 10, 2013
    ISBN9780989222921
    Of Bullies and Bandaids
    Author

    Jacqueline Carl

    From the day they were born, twin sisters Janette Ackermann and Jackie Carl had a special connection to animals, as they did to each other. They wanted to help animals. In college they went their separate ways, anxious to find out who they were apart fromeach other. Different aptitudes led to different degrees, but every job lead them back to their calling--animals. Janette became a wildlife veterinarian, Jackie a writer. Together they started the American Wildlife Foundation, a place where people come to help animals, and in doing so, they usually end up helping each other and themselves.

    Read more from Jacqueline Carl

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      Book preview

      Of Bullies and Bandaids - Jacqueline Carl

      Of Bullies and Band-Aids®:Cyrano

      Excerpt from

      Whispers from the Wild

      Stories from a Wildlife Center

      by

      Jacqueline A. Carl

      Janette Ackermann, DVM

      Enter the world of

      The American Wildlife Foundation

      a place where harsh realities are healed

      by the magic of ordinary people.

      Whispers from the Wild

      Jacqueline A. Carl

      Janette Ackerman, DVM

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright © 2013 by JAJACquest

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address JAJACquest, P.O. Box 1246, Molalla OR 97038

      Printed in the United States of America

      JAJACquest paperback edition / May 2013

      All rights reserved.

      Table of Contents

      Prologue

      Of Bullies and Band-Aids®: Cyrano

      Unexpected Drop-Off

      Who’s The Boss

      From Bullied to Bully

      Small Opportunities

      The Bone Yard

      Escape

      Advanced Warning

      A Special Kind of Healing

      Efforts and Events

      Wildlife Rhythms

      Moving On

      These stories are based on actual experiences. To protect the privacy of both people and property locations, and to ensure confidentiality, we have changed names, descriptions, and other identifying characteristics, other than our own or those of our families. The care techniques described were performed by a licensed veterinarian or conducted under the direction of a licensed veterinarian. They should not be attempted without the direct assistance or supervision of a licensed veterinarian.

      Prologue

      It started out so simply, innocently. I love animals.

      From the day they were born, twin sisters Janette and Jackie shared a special connection to animals, as they did to each other. It could have stopped at any time. Lots of people love animals. Siblings drift apart. But it didn't. And, at nine or ten, when people started to ask them what they wanted to do with their lives, their joint response was resounding. I want to help animals.

      People just smiled indulgently. It would pass. But it didn't. In fact, it got worse. It became a dream—not good, nor bad, just persistent. By high school the young women formulated their plans. I want a career working with animals.

      In college they went their separate ways, anxious to find out who they were apart from each other. Different aptitudes led to different degrees. Every job lead them back to their first love—animals. It was a calling.

      After several years on their own, they realized they were better off together. With dogged determination, they collected what resources they could and headed for Oregon, a state known for active environmentalism. The heart knows its dream; even if that dream can break it now and again.

      And so, the American Wildlife Foundation was born, a relentless dream made real in second hand furniture, hand-me-down equipment, and the blood and bones of creatures who have no place to turn when life goes bad.

      But something unexpected happened along the way. It became so much more.

      AWF is a place where people come to help animals, and in doing so, they usually end up helping each other and themselves.

      These stories are based on true experiences. They are not accounts of cute and cuddly creatures (well, some are); they're about wildlife—animals who are not usually cooperative, or even grateful.

      But listen carefully, and you will hear whispers from the wild—messages of hope and renewal, of perseverance and acceptance, of faith and family. And the imperative shared by all independent beings: If you love me, set me free.

      We live in a world where it's easy to feel insignificant.

      These stories remind us we are all connected.

      And that what each of us does, no matter how small, matters.

      Of Bullies and Band-Aids®

      Cyrano

      Unexpected Drop-off

      Look what I found by the front gate, Kate exclaimed. Across the room, Jackie peered suspiciously over her computer monitor. The thin, almost gangly volunteer struggled to lug an awkward dog crate through the narrow door of the wildlife center. The cold, wet Oregon spring pushed past her into the building with much less effort, blowing a stack of papers off the well-worn desk that served as the nonprofit's reception area.

      Kate lowered the crate to the floor as gently as the oversized container would allow, and shoved the door closed with her muddy rubber boot. She adjusted her wet beanie as she squeezed around the crate and started to drag it along the floor, grinding mud into the linoleum as she headed for the treatment room.

      Jackie interrupted her perpetual search for new sources of funding, and cocked an eyebrow at her twin sister and business partner, who appeared from the adjoining room. Dr. Janette Ackermann pulled on her white lab coat, struggling to subdue her flushing face; it threatened to reveal more than she wanted to their excited volunteer.

      "I told them I was going to check with my partner before I agreed to accept it as our first education animal. Janette grabbed one side of the crate to help Kate carry it into their modest treatment room and spare the abused floor. I only talked to them yesterday."

      Kate dropped a plastic bagged manila envelop onto the counter. It had obviously come with the bird. It's a black vulture, she proclaimed.

      While admiring the volunteer's excitement, Jackie had her doubts. Black vultures were not common in the area, and over years of working with wildlife, the co-directors of the center had discovered that even a relatively knowledgeable volunteer like Kate frequently misidentified an animal.

      Jackie left her scattered papers to enter the treatment room. As her sister and Kate put the crate onto the exam table, a putrid odor wafted her way. She wrinkled her nose, trying not to gag. The odor was overpowering and unmistakable. If the smell of a dead animal is bad, there's absolutely nothing worse than the smell of a dead animal after it's been consumed and then regurgitated.

      Kate didn't seem to notice, and Janette, who had practiced primarily on wildlife following graduation from vet school, was accustomed to the rank odors that followed injured animals into the clinic, threatening to suck the oxygen out of whatever room they were kept in.

      The terrified creature in the crate was shaking and sitting in a pool of its own vomit. Whoever had dropped it at the door hadn't even given it a blanket or strip of artificial turf for traction for its five hour journey to the center.

      Jackie opened the envelope.

      Ohhhhhh, said Kate over her shoulder. A baby picture.

      No donation check, Jackie noted, only a blurry picture of a fuzzy white vulture chick standing, wings spread defensively, in a dirt floor pen. We barely opened our door for business, she thought, and we've already got our first permanent responsibility: a vulture. A harbinger of death dropped on your door just can't be a good sign. She suppressed a brief moment of dread.

      Vultures, as scavengers, are associated with death, even to those who are not superstitious. Frequently shunned, and certainly under-appreciated, they play a vital role in keeping the environment clean and in balance, and help prevent the spread of disease.

      Although Jackie didn't know it at the time, this bird was destined to become the heart of the wildlife center, or a Band-Aid® for their hearts in any case. In a business where there frequently seems to be as much death as success, this smelly bird, over the years, would be a constant reminder to be vigilant, try your hardest, make the best

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