Fellow Mortals--Compassion Changes Everything

“We would trade every one of our hands-on experiences with wild creatures to have each of them still free and healthy in the wild.”

As Fellow Mortals begins its 30th consecutive year of providing care to injured and orphaned wild ones, it seems appropriate to revisit our very first newsletter, published in the winter of 1992, shortly after we had released the Canada geese who survived one of the worst cases of lead poisoning ever documented. Our mission today is exactly what it was that winter:  to provide comfort and care, with the hope of eventual release to the wild.

Of the 1800-2300 animals we care for annually, a handful are threatened or endangered; a few more are uncommon. The smallest percentage of the animals brought to us for care are generally considered ‘cool’ or ‘sexy.’ The vast majority of Fellow Mortals’ work consists of caring for the ‘common’ species which share our world.

Squirrels and rabbits, sparrows and ducks are always represented in our patient lists.  Though they may occur commonly in the wild, it does not make the individuals any less important.  We admire the tenacity of these wild creatures who are often taken for granted and sometimes reviled or considered ‘pests.’ We believe in the value of all life and in equality of care.

“It is not just the endangered to which we must assign a priority, or the magnificent, for their grandeur affords them a certain protection. The common sparrow, the familiar cottontail—those creatures who share our backyards and our daily lives deserve and need us just as much.

The imperfect, the injured, those born too young, born too late, are those you bring to us for care and, though the situation may be sad, each individual always bears a greater gift by inspiring our compassion. In healing, we are healed.” Yvonne Wallace Blane @ 1989

As we look forward to another year of serving wildlife and the compassionate people who care about wild creatures, Fellow Mortals' mission statement:  "Fellow Mortals is more than a place; it is a living philosophy based on the belief that encouraging compassion in humans toward all life brings out the finest aspects of our humanity," continues to influence the direction of our organization.

Thank you for helping us to honor our commitment and continue our work to honor the value of each life.

Links:

• She magazine article about Fellow Mortals

"After a busy Owl-oween, Alberta here to give you a hoot-out for helping the wild ones at Fellow Mortals!

Yvonne left her iphone in my house when she came to visit last night and (after a few crazy shots of my big beak), I figured out how to get a selfie and some pictures of my friends before the big night got started.  It was crazy-sounding here, especially with the barred owls sounding like drunken ghosts and, when the wild owls showed up--well it was a really good Owl-oween!

Anyway, I finally figured out the smartphone stuff (luckily Yvonne has GlobalGiving as a favorite)  and now I'm tapping my talons on the screen.  (I've been living with humans for 34 years now, so I learned how to read English a looonnng time ago).

So here's the thing:  I try not to be a piggy (since I'm an owl) but I still need to eat! and I know Yvonne sometimes worries when she doesn't know how she's going to buy enough food for us, or get the new blankets she needs for the squirrels (who are kept tantalizingly out of reach and sight of me and my friends) or the medicines she needs to help the injured animals who come to the hospital.  I found out about you because sometimes when Yvonne brings my supper, she says, 'here's your food, thanks to some great people we've never met, but who care about you all the same.'

I don't know if I'll ever be able to get my talons back on this phone again, so when I saw your name in the list of our friends on Global Giving, I knew this might be my only chance to tell you that all of us owls who call Fellow Mortals home year-round know about how good you are to us. We live here because we were injured and can't fly or hunt anymore, but we have beautiful houses and we get company and some of us are teachers too. 

I raised four orphaned great-horned owls this year and they were big and beautiful (and gifted, if I say so myself) when they flew off to find lives in the wild.  Some of my friends are single or don't raise babies, but they do a LOT of visiting with humans where Yvonne says they teach how important owls are (okay,other wild animals too) to a healthy planet.  Just between you and me, I think some of the teachers are kindof show-offs, but I guess that's okay as long as they come home at night and some humans learned something...

Hoo-hoo!  Here she comes for the phone, so I have to go--but thanks for all my suppers, and for helping give us owls who live here a safe place to call home.

and Happy Owl-oween!

Alberta, Shakespeare, Sophie, Robbie, Amelia, Katy"