Beware of Well-intentioned Actions


I am continually amazed at the actions some people think are helpful for wildlife.  While their intention is to assist wildlife, they do not consider the wildlife’s perspective.  A recent example of that was a lady who called me about a turtle a few weeks ago.  “How long have you had it?” I asked.

“Just a couple of days,” she responded.

In cases such as this, most people do not share the correct length of time.  “Do you realize that turtles hibernate?” I questioned.  “That turtle needs to be in a pond, burrow into the mud, and get ready for winter by hibernating.”

“I was taking good care of it,” she replied.

“From your point of view,” I explained.  “We need to consider what the turtle needs.”

She brought me the turtle, I took it to a pond, and when I set it down, it hurried to the water.  The turtle knew what it needed to do and fast.  Before it waded in, it looked back at me as if to say, “Thank you.”

If you want to help wildlife, look at life from the critter’s point of view.

Thanks for caring about the critters,

Patt

PS If someone you lost loved wildlife, send a donation to the critters in that person’s memory.  Click here to donate:  https://square.link/u/4VrslQtP?src-sms