True Story of Unsung Heroes of Animal Rescue

You may read a multiple book and articles animal heroes true rescue stories, this story is not a famous one but surely it will touch your hearts. Tonight I went to the beach to watch 2 sea turtle nests. At 11:pm 3 young college kids, two girls and a guy, came over. I had met them 2 weeks ago when they asked what I was doing sitting by a nest. I told them about the sea turtles and they sat there for several hours with me getting an education about sea turtles and other imperiled marine life. We watched the nest but nothing happened. The next night they were curious so they went to check on the same nest at about 11:pm. It had started to hatch. They were sure the hatch lings would go toward the water. They had no buckets or flashlights, they couldn't call me because they didn't have my cell (which I think everyone on the planet must have by now and knows I'm on call for animal rescue 24/7)

The nest started to hatch with 80 babies racing toward the dune. They remained calm and using their jackets made a sack which held the disorientated hatch-lings. They gently picked them up and released them into their new home the ocean. They waited to see if more would come out. After awhile they went home and sat on their sofa thinking out what had just happened. They saved a whole nest of an endangered species. Not something most people ever get the chance to do.

They told me tonight what had happened. I felt so proud that they got it, from just that one night sitting with me on the beach. Apparently what I had said and more importantly their wanting to learn had sunk in. That experience forever changed them. They helped the nest tonight when all 93 hatch lings went away from the ocean and toward the dune.

I'm writing this to show that you never really know the effect you have on people, you never know what seeds you plant will grow into awareness, compassion and action. We can only hope that they do. We have to have that hope that blind faith. That is what keeps us going, that the drive to protect won't die with us but will live on with the next generation of people we have inspired.

If only everyone could or would be willing to have face-to-face experiences with non-humans where they are helping them - surely this would be so much more rewarding than the atrocities that are mindlessly perpetrated. I never knew how personable turtles were until I rescued two, full grown and totally delightful Red Eared Sliders a few years ago. All non-humans demonstrate wonderful personalities; if we'd only give them a chance. Doing what we can do IS important for both human and non-human.