The first time it happened, I was standing out on my front lawn. Out of nowhere I saw a lizard run under my parked car. At first I thought maybe this was a hallucination caused by the ONE time I tried marijuana in college. But as I stooped and looked, there it was. I quickly and as quietly as possible called my, then, elementary-aged kids to come and look. I instructed them to quickly grab 3 things - a broom, a pair of garden gloves and a lidded shoe box. With roles assigned, we then nudged the lizard towards the gloved capturer who then quickly put it in the box where a lid was immediately placed. We looked at each other and just began laughing. We got ourselves a lizard! In Elgin, Illinois!! What in the world??
We contacted all the local pet stores and veterinarians to see if anyone had posted about their lost lizard. No responses. So we took him to a vet and learned that we were now in possession of a female iguana. We then took her home and gave her the best life we could. It was short-lived due to the incorrect direction given by this vet. But in her short life, Iggy got to run in the sand at a beach, was loved deeply and was even fitted for a leash - which never quite worked. But we all had a great time together - our family and this crazy rescued iguana.
The next time it happened I was driving to work in Phoenix, Arizona. I saw a bird standing smack dab in the middle of a fairly busy street. It was standing there, looking frightened and unable to move. I kept driving but also kept looking in my rearview mirror. And I got worried. To the point that I eventually turned around, returned to the bird, and parked on the side of the road. I waited until there was a pause in the traffic, ran to it and gently lifted and carried it to the side. Safe and sound in what grass I could find. I then ran back to my car and drove off. Hoping and praying that, if it did die, it would be an honorable death instead of being squished underneath car tires.
Now, let me make something perfectly clear. I’m not an “All Creatures Great and Small” kind of person. I’m not drawn to animals. I don’t go out of my way to pet them, carry them or watch them. Let alone rescue them. I have a dog and that’s about it.
But then last Sunday it happened again!!! I was out walking Max, my aforementioned dog, when we came upon a goose. A female goose standing in the middle of the sidewalk. She looked okay, but she didn’t move. I stared at her for a few minutes but then, of course, rerouted our walk so as not to disturb her. As I went inside I could not get this goose out of my mind. I kept looking out the window to watch her. She would take a couple of steps and then stop, never going far. I got more and more worried about her. Afraid that a dog would attack her or kids might bully her. I quickly showered, ate and dressed and then called a hotline number to see what they would do. A recording gave me instructions as to how to capture her. I just stared at the phone. I have to do this??? Can’t somebody else? I looked out the window, hoping a neighbor or some random stranger would suddenly appear. Nope. Not a person in sight. Crap! I’ve got to do it.
So, as the recording instructed me, I grabbed a towel and a box, a box that I had to find at the bottom of my apartment’s dumpster. And then I went forth to capture a goose. I approached her and, as expected, she didn't move more than a couple of steps. After the first attempt with the towel, I tried again, looking around for some help but, as usual, none to be found. I dropped the towel on her a second time, grabbed her and ran to the box. Where I then closed her in and placed her in the back of my SUV. I then proceeded to tell her that I’ve got to go to church now because it’s Sunday and I have to work, but I promised that I would get her help as soon as possible. You should have seen the look on people’s faces when I told them that I had a goose in my trunk. They looked at me as though I was crazy. And then, of course, wanted to see her.
Fortunately for me, or should I say the goose, one of our vocalists, Courtney, is a staff member at the Madison Zoo so she came out, did an assessment and then proceeded to call the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center followed by directions on where I should take her. So, goodbye church and hello Wildlife Center.
When I arrived, they were ready for me. A staff member wore a suit that completely covered her from head to toe. I guess birds carry crazy diseases. Too bad I didn’t research that before I spent a fair amount of time touching and petting this sweet diseased animal. Anyways, the suited staff person didn’t take her at first because she didn’t recognize the type of goose she was. So she called for backup. Where I soon discovered that I had rescued a rare breed of goose, not known for living in Wisconsin. Specifically, a Greater White Fronted Goose who hails from someplace west of the Mississippi.
I dropped her off and was given her patient number so I could follow up. On Wednesday I got some news. And, believe it or not, tears are falling as I type this. First the good news. She’s an adolescent and tested negative for diseases so Courtney and I are good to go. But, she has some ongoing neurological symptoms which have not improved. She also has a fractured keel. With the help of Google, I’ve learned that the keel is part of the breastbone which is connected to the muscles of the wings. They’re keeping a close eye on her and helping her as much as they can. I’ll get another update this week.
I don’t know why I find myself, every so often, rescuing animals. Animals which I have no expertise in at all, evidenced by the fact that I put a leash on an iguana, carried a bird with my bare hands and petted a goose (oh and I also gave her granola which I shouldn’t have done). But everything in me said I had to help. So I did. Some would call me crazy. I like to think of myself as brave.
Because there are different kinds of bravery. One kind is trying something scary that you’ve never tried before, but with instructions and the help of friends and a buddy, you go for it. Such as, jumping out of an airplane. Another kind of bravery is reaching out to someone to whom you have hurt; taking a deep breath as you do, praying that they’ll respond with a mutual desire for healing. Then there’s this animal rescue kind of bravery. Helping save an animal with no clue as to what you’re doing. I call this bravery with a little bit of crazy thrown in. Because it makes no sense that I’m the one to do it. But because I did, I’ve given these random animals a chance of a good life, or in the case of the bird, a chance of a good death.
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