This dedication from one of her books may explain Alex Weis' life outside of writing her great novels!
Dedication for Broken Wings:
For
all the wildlife I have rescued, rehabbed, fretted over, stayed up all night
with, cried into their fur, and lost. Thank you to all of my wonderful wild
babies. You have made my life complete.
One of the most
fulfilling aspects of my life is working as a permitted and certified wildlife
rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries. When I am not writing, my
days are taken up with caring for orphaned and injured wildlife brought to me
by concerned individuals. Now, more than ever, the wildlife rehabbers are
working to save animals injured from interactions with society, or dealing with
orphaned wildlife during the coming spring baby season. And yes, it can be
dangerous, especially when dealing with rabies vector creatures such as
raccoon, fox, and bats. So why do I volunteer to put myself in harms way? Quite
simply, I love animals.
My evolution
from rescuing dogs and cats to wildlife happened about eleven years ago when a
neighbor brought me an orphaned baby gray squirrel. Her name was Widget
McFidget McFee and she taught me how to love wildlife. The challenges with
raising any wildlife orphan are much greater than raising a domestic baby.
Chewed furniture, scratches, bites, and the occasional nut being buried in your
shoe, can all result from raising a baby squirrel. But when you hold that fuzzy
ball of fur in your arms, watch it grow, and see that little personality
flourish, there is no difference, at least to me, between a human child and a
wild child.
The day I set Widget free was a mixed blessing of tears and joy.
My house seemed empty without her, but she gave me the confidence to raise more
baby squirrels and return them to the wild. After her release, I started taking
in more babies, and eventually received my wildlife rehabbers permit. Today I
work with foxes, flying squirrels, fox squirrels, gray squirrels, raccoons,
opossum, skunk, rabbit and the occasional otter. All of which would have never
have been possible without Widget.
And I was not abandoned completely by my
first wild baby. Over the course of the next few years, Widget would bring her
babies to me. She would bring every litter she had to my front door for a
visit. Unfortunately, after hurricane Katrina, I never saw Widget again. But she
is still with me every day.
With every orphaned baby I take in, or with every
injured adult I help, I think of Widget and the wonderful gift she gave me.
Never let it be said you cannot learn anything from an animal. I was taught the
greatest lesson there is from a squirrel. I opened my heart to a world I never
even knew existed, and I have become a better human being because of it.
Alex
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Thanks, Glenda. I always love talking about my babies!!!
ReplyDeleteVery cool. Thank you for a lovely read today.
ReplyDelete