Friday is the final volunteering day. We helped rake leaves again, but this time we placed them into big buckets. Then, the guys took the leaves to a compost pile, I believe. When they returned with the empty buckets, we washed them. That job was the main assignment for the day. However, we also scrubbed and put away dishes in the Nutrition Center again. We also pulled weeds in the flower beds and unloaded produce from H.E.B. Last of all, we went on a final tour. Jessica, the volunteer coordinator, took us below the gates. She gave us even more detail on each animal and elaborated deeply on the illegal animal trade. Most of the animals that the Center received were tested on, going to be euthanized, or owned illegally. She also talked about the animal’s aggression. When we see them in zoos pacing back and forth, it’s because they’re stressed out. One of the monkeys kept showing its teeth, which was also a sign of aggression. She said that monkey was one of the most dangerous animals they have and the workers there have nightmares of it escaping. We also saw a male lion, but it didn’t have a mane. I found it was because it was castrated. The lion was placed into the WRR because a man was pulled over by a cop for something like speeding. When the cop approached the car, the lion popped its head out of the back seat. Then, the authorities sent the lion to the WRR. Jessica continued to share a story about a monkey that was taped into baby clothing and taped to a high chair to be spoon-fed because the owner wanted the monkey to be like a baby. It was so disturbing and sad to hear about that story. Thankfully, the monkey has been placed at the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center where it can live a healthier, happier life.
On Friday night, we switched from our fifteen passenger van to a seven passenger van. It was a tight squeeze, but we did it. We also returned to Fatso’s to watch the KU vs. NC State basketball game with KU alumni. It was another intense game, but yet again we won! Rock Chalk!
On Saturday, we drove back to Lawrence. We ate the famous Whataburger in Austin, Texas, and we finally got our Mexican food that we were craving in Ardmore, Oklahoma. It was hard to believe that our trip was coming to an end. It was a bittersweet moment.
My overall thought of the day: Washing dishes was actually one of the most important jobs. Animals are fed daily and there are thousands of animals that use these dishes. I also learned a lot more about the illegal animal trade. I didn’t know that it had the second highest underground sales next to drug trading. In addition, people can be horrible to animals and it is important to help them. The Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is doing a great job providing a safe, comfortable place for animals to live for the time being or the rest of their lives.
It was such a fun trip, and I have met six amazing, funny, and loving people. It was great that we all got along so well. This trip created many wonderful memories, and it was definitely the best trip that I have ever been on.
It was such a fun trip, and I have met six amazing, funny, and loving people. It was great that we all got along so well. This trip created many wonderful memories, and it was definitely the best trip that I have ever been on.
On Friday, everyone was having mixed feelings. The week had flown by and we all had become such great friends and although we were excited to finish volunteering because it was tiring, it had been so much fun. Our first job was to rake all the leaves from around various parts of the center and put them into garbage cans. It was funny watching Katie and Shannon try and pick up these garbage cans because they were full of the leaves and dirt and weighted a ton and these girls are not the strongest. The men loaded these buckets onto the truck and we hopped in it and took it to the Compost where we unloaded all of it and dumped it into a huge pile and road back. The volunteer coordinator, Jessica, gave us a great tour afterward. For most of the week, everyone was kind of annoyed with her because she always gave us extra work, but I never did, because I thought she was extremely cute and wanted to marry her. Unfortunately, I found out that she was indeed married, and therefore couldn’t. On the tour, she talked about how the Wildlife Center got all their animals. Most of the animals came from places where they had been tested on and released for being too old. We got to see the biggest African Lion I had ever seen. Jessica said it was nearly 800 pounds but it didn’t have a mane because it was castrated. Some of the stories of what people did to the animals were absolutely horrible and it made me happy that the animals at the center were away from all that and could be themselves. I also learned that when an animal paces back and forth, it means that it’s stressed out.
ReplyDeleteThat night, we went back to Fatso’s to watch the KU game. The place was packed because it was volleyball night and there was a Spurs game on. We had to wait over an hour for our food, but because the game was on, we didn’t care. We all went crazy when Withey started the game off with 6 blocks and went even crazier when we pulled out the win. One of the ladies there paid for our dinners because she love dhow we came back again. On the trip home, we ate at Whataburger where Katie and Shannon created my first Twitter account and I sat at a table by myself with a strange old man, Jimmy Robinson. We talked about life for a while and then he left and I rejoined the group feeling happy that I was able to brighten his day by just talking to him. But the car ride back was emotional, because we all wanted to stay longer because we had become such great friends and we would miss waking up and spending every moment with each other. This truly was my favorite spring break that I’ve ever had and will always remember it.