Recently, I started volunteering at the wildlife rehabilitation center. It’s exciting. Today, I cleaned out the cage of two fawn and gave them more grass. I love deer especially baby deer because they are so awkward when they walk around. These two have the biggest eyes. When I first saw them, they reminded me of the time Jenny and I went to this park in upstate New York and saw tons of deer. I think the mother of the fawns was either killed by a car or was shot to death.
The only complaint I have is the mice situation. They buy their mice from a farm in Florida, which ships them dead. The place is called ’Gourmet Rodent’. I checked them out online. Apparently you can get a dead mouse for less than a dollar. Rats cost more depending on the size, but not much. Some fruit at the grocery store costs more than them!
I don’t understand how we can place a value on life. We slap a price on package of chicken or beef. Yet, I don’t think the price it costs us is worth the pain that the animal went through. It’s not an equal trade. Next time you go to the grocery store, ask yourself whether the $5.89 you spent on a whole chicken was worth the price of that chicken dying.
It’s strange that we have claimed superiority over animals because of our ability to reason, yet when it comes to eating them, we use the excuse, "We’re animals, too". It’s also odd that a Picasso painting is labeled as "priceless", but a one day old baby chick’s life is only 60 cents (according to Gourmet Rodent).
At the Conservancy, we have to chop white mice and rats up into pieces. I told them I couldn’t do it. It’s so degrading (I didn’t tell them that it was degrading, but I was thinking it). We once had living, breathing animals and now we are cutting them up with a pair of scissors. That is disrespectful.
At the Conservancy we save some animals lives, but have to kill others to do so. People may say, who cares about mice or rats or small to medium sized fish or worms--it’s not like they are in danger of extinction or it’s not like they are native to Florida or it’s not like they wouldn’t have died on their own. Accordingly, we treat them as though they are dispensible.
When you go into the refrigerator, there are bags upon bags of different size mice and rats. They’ve had their insides sucked out of them. That’s why we give them shots of vitamins before cutting them up; it’s more nutritious for the animals.
Don’t get me wrong. I am happy that I’m working at the rehabilitation center. It’s enjoyable. I just have reservations about valuing some animals at the expense of others. Also, I dislike putting a price tag on any animal’s life.
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
