"Understand the Power of a Single Action"

My favorite quote all of time is admittedly from the back of an REM T-shirt that I proudly wore in 10th and 11th grade.  On the back it read, "Understand the Power of a Single Action."  Wow.  Who knew that one of my favorite bands would make such a profound statement, which would ultimately remain in the back of my mind for over 20 years?

The vintage quote was brought to the forefront of my consciousness this week when I was chaperoning a field trip to the Virginia Aquarium with my group of Critter Campers.  While we were looking at an exhibit, having a great time, I witnessed a child being struck by whom I assume to be his father.  Now, this is not a blog to debate the subject of spanking but I will admit that I am not an advocate of sanctioned hitting of any sort.

Regardless of whichever side of the proverbial fence you sit regarding the "S" word, what I witnessed was not discipline but rather a form of anger.  I found this troubling for a host of reasons, but especially because the offense seemed very trivial while the force utilized was quite significant compared to the petite size of the child.  I would wager a bet that he was between 2-3 years old.

I debated for the past two days whether I wanted to write my experience on the field trip, and I wasn't certain whether it would be appropriate to do so via the VBSPCA blog.  It was only when I awoke this morning that I decided that my single action regarding this incident would be to write about it.

Working at an animal shelter, we receive approximately 4-5 thousand domesticated animals every year.  Some of these animals have been treated poorly, and it takes a lot of love, consistency, kindness, and compassion to reverse cruelty to an animal.  While I am not saying that the parent I am referencing above was cruel, it is my opinion that the action was unnecessary.  I wish that people would realize the long-standing consequences of their actions.  Actions are accompanied with power; whether they come in the form of a kind word or gesture, a thank you card or note, a rolled up newspaper on a muzzle, to a swat on a child's body.

Let's all reflect on the power that we inherently have regarding the people and animals in our lives and recognize the importance of our actions.  I certainly will be paying closer attention to mine.
~Amy

Flying the Friendly Skies, Once Again

I was fortunate to spend the earliest part of my morning with a sweet animal named Kermit. The name Kermit conjures up an image of a singing, dancing little green frog for most people, myself included.  However, this Kermit is a one-winged pelican that was recently rescued by the Virginia Beach SPCA's Wildlife Program. He is just as endearing as Mr. Jim Henson's frog, which explains why so many people participated in the series of events all leading up to his successful flight at 7 am on July 3rd.

 The old adage, "it takes a village to raise a child" should be augmented to include "and rehabilitate wildlife." Especially in the case of Kermit (the non frog). There were a lot of participants involved with the bird's rescue such as: "Mo"-the Navy Ship Captain that called the VBSPCA hotline when he discovered the injured bird; Karen and Noah who went and tackled the logistics of capturing an adult pelican; Pearl who immediately began caring for him which included administering antibiotics; Jason who was willing to report on the story for WVEC 13 despite the lack of notice; and the Virginia Aquarium for putting Kermit on a national registry. I am quite certain there were many other hands involved in getting Kermit to his flight this morning, and each role was instrumental in the carefully orchestrated transfer.

Now, the primary goal for rehabbers and the VBSPCA Wildlife Program is release, but with Kermit's wing amputation he was unable to be returned to the wild. So, Kermit flew on a Commercial Airline out of Norfolk International rather than his traditional flight pattern. He will arrive at his destination, Sea World, where he will live out the rest of his life with ten other pelicans.  We certainly would have preferred for Kermit to fly with his pelican bretheren during their migration cycle, but we know that this is the best alternative that we have to offer the gentle bird.  And, one can't ask for more than our collective best.

So, as I type this blog, I hope that Kermit is enjoying his peanuts and pretzels as he flies to his forever home at Sea World, Orlando.  Safe travels, Kermi.
xox

Amy