Pay it forward?

Well, I don't know if this blog post is really about fish or bunnies...well maybe about bunnies in a way.  I just felt compelled to write it.  I've been in somewhat of a foul, frustrated mood lately.  It's just one of those periods of time where I'm frustrated about where I am, and nothing really seems to get any better. 

So anyway, I went to Arby's to grab a bite for lunch today, and I saw this homeless guy with a sign that said, "Need work.  Please help."  I just felt really bad for him.  I've seen him around town before.  I know nothing about him.  Who knows?  Maybe he's an alcoholic or drug addict or whatever, but something just made my heart hurt for him.  He's a fellow human being.  There's so many people just one step away from where he is.  I was sad because I wished that I could help him.  So...I just felt this compulsion to buy the guy a sandwich.  Like a crazy strong compulsion...like God wanted me to!  I don't have a whole lot of money in the first place....I probably should have just stuck to a PB&J today, but...eh.  So I bought the guy a sandwich.

I felt sort of dumb, because it just seemed so grossly inadequate.  I can't get the guy a job, I can't help him out of his current situation...all I could do was buy him a sandwich.  Well, I handed it to him and said, "I can't help you with work, but I can buy you a sandwich!"  His face sort of lit up, he smiled at me, and said, "God bless you."  And that kind of made my day.  I said "God bless you" back, said a little prayer for him, and drove away. 

So I guess it's the little things in life.  I wish I could help more people in tough situations.  I wish I could build a bunny sanctuary.  I wish I could stop animals and children and anybody from being abused and oppressed.  But I can't.  I suppose I'll stick to the little stuff.  If all I can do is save a few bunnies and buy a homeless guy a sandwich, then that's what I'll do.

If you're having a bad day, or feeling crappy about life in general, go volunteer somewhere.  Foster an animal.  Help at a shelter.  Mentor a kid.  Buy a homeless guy a sandwich.  Believe me, it'll put a smile on your face.

Traps! Cameras! Action!!

A few weeks ago (yeah, I've been slacking in the blog department), I had the opportunity to go on an offshore research trip for work.  I was a bit nervous about being gone for 2 weeks, especially since I've got so many furry critters.  Thanks to a wonderful and bunny-savvy friend, they had a place to stay while I was gone!

Anyway, FWRI (Fish & Wildlife Research Institute) does a variety of offshore research.  The particular trip I went on was the traps & cameras cruise.   This research targets hard bottom habitats in up to 80 meters of water on the West Florida Shelf.  A sidescan sonar is used to find appropriate areas to sample, then two different types of gear are set on the spots.  Stationary Underwater Camera Arrays (SUCAs) and chevron fish traps are both used.  The SUCAs gather film footage, which is later analyzed for information about fish populations at these sites, and several of the fish captured in the traps are used to gather life history information.

Here's a photo of the SUCAs:

And a photo of the chevron traps:

 The research cruise lasted 10 days, and we were traveling aboard the R/V Weatherbird II.  The vessel was 115', so it was fairly comfortable space-wise.  We had beautiful weather to start with, but a couple days into our voyage, the weather turned.  It was nice to work in drizzly, overcast conditions as opposed to the blazing heat (and that deck got HOT!), but things became a bit of a challenge as the swells built to 8 feet.  I am proud to say I did NOT get seasick.  I did almost fall out of the shower that night.  You haven't lived until you've taken a navy-style shower in a facility the size of a phone both in 8-10 foot seas.  We were forced to abandon the original plan and head to our southernmost site to avoid the weather.  Ironically, this is the fortune that our PI (principal investigator) received in her fortune cookie the night before:

Once we moved south, we were back on track.  We were about 100 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico, which was neat.  We were visited by spotted dolphins pretty much every morning.  We swore that they knew they were being filmed as the cameras went over - when we reviewed the footage we were treated to quite a show! 

I liked the solitude of being so far out to sea.  One of my favorite things to do was sit on deck and watch the sunset (if we were finished with the day's work by then, anyway!)  It was quite beautiful, but at the same time it was almost eerie.  It's a strange and humbling feeling to be completely surrounded by water.  It feels like freedom, but sometimes it's almost suffocating.  That's a bit of a contradiction, but that's the best I can describe it!

Here's a photo of one of the gorgeous sunsets:

Some of the bright points of the trip were the food (we had an excellent cook - I didn't go hungry, and if you know me, you know that's quite the thing), seeing neat sea critters, watching the above-mentioned sunsets, the gorgeous blue water, seeing my second water spout ever, being out in the middle of nowhere, and getting to live and breathe SCIENCE for 10 days. (and yes, watching the stupid dolphins.  Geez, I guess everyone is a sucker for Flipper sometimes)

A moray eel:

Here I am measuring a nice grouper!  (And I totally rocked the hardhat & life vest - I'm not even wearing the shrimp boots on this day!)

And here I am just being my nerdy self:

There were, of course, things I did not enjoy about being offshore.  The lack of communication is both a blessing and a curse.  It's kind of nice to get away from it all, but believe me, I was on Facebook and checking my email as soon as we got back into cell-phone reception range!  I needed to satiate my thirst for news and social networking!  The bunk was not exactly the most comfortable place to rest.  The stools in the long lab were NOT comfortable either, and that's pretty much where we were if we weren't on deck or in our bunks.  We worked hard, but we had a LOT of downtime.  I got tired of reading (read 4 books), and for me, that's saying something.  The noise.  Oh, the noise.  The engine noise of the boat is constant.  You get used to it, but the silence was bliss once I got back on dry land.  I got really tired of constantly rocking.  Around day 7, all my stuff was falling over while I was in the bathroom, and I had a moment of "I HAVE GOT TO GET OFF OF THIS STUPID ROCKING BOAT!!"  There's not much privacy either.  That's why I relished any evening I got to spend on deck watching the sunset.  Oh, and my hands constantly smelled like dead mackerel.  Not that I'm not used to the smell of dead fish, but...yeah.
The Long Lab (where we spent a lot of time!):

 Home away from home:

All in all, it was a good experience.  I got to see some cool stuff, and we got a lot of science done!  However, I was very happy to be back on dry land, go pick up my furry kids, and go home and collapse on my couch (which I fantasized about while sitting on the horrible lab stool).  Oh, I did take a nice, long, hot shower before I collapsed on the couch.  Believe me, it was a luxury to leave the water on the entire time.  My hands smelled slightly less of dead mackerel when I was done.

Endangered? Phbbbt.

Okay, so yes, they really are endangered, but wow it seems like I have seen a lot of sawfish lately!  Of course, going on an insane number of sampling trips has probably increased my chances.  I dubbed myself the "sawfish ninja" after catching sawfish on several consecutive trips!  Heck, I caught 6 on one trip the other week - that made for nearly a 14 hour workday. 

Sawfish are, quite simply, amazing creatures.  I am glad that they are listed as a federally endangered species.  Back in the day, those long "hedgetrimmer"-like rostrums easily entangled in fisherman's nets, and they were considered somewhat of a pest, since they wrecked the nets.  Therefore, they were killed in large numbers.  We know so little about them, so it's an amazing experience to be part of a team that conducts important research on sawfish.  Hopefully, we will come to learn more and more about their life history so we can learn how to better help them recover their numbers.  These fish used to be a common sight up and down the eastern seaboard, but their historical range has all but disappeared.  I happen to live and work in one of the few places they still occupy.

Yesterday, we caught a little young-of-the-year sawfish.  He was very cute, and quite frisky!  Contrary to popular belief, however, they will not hack you in pieces with that saw.  I'm always quite astonished at how docile they are while we poke and prod them.  They will surprise you every now again though - and they are strong. 

Some think they are ugly.  I think they are beautiful.  I wish everyone could have a chance to look at one eye-to-eye.  At work, we were discussing how amazing their eyes are.  They are expressive somehow!  I just love them.

I do sometimes complain about going to work (hey, it is my job), but when I look a sawfish in the eye, I am reminded how lucky I am to be a part of this project.

Here I am feeling the sawfish love...

And here is a photo of me with one of my other loves...a baby bull shark.  This guy still had a fresh umbilical scar!  I got my "hero shot" with him, then released him so he could go eat other fish and grow up to make more baby bull sharks.

Response to "Why Rabbits?"

Wow, I just wanted to post a short note to say how amazed I am by the response to my post, and a THANK YOU to everyone who read it.  I've received a literal avalanche of wonderful, sweet notes from fellow bunny people who were touched by my words.  I've even made some awesome new friends on Facebook!  I'm sorry that I haven't been able to respond to all of you individually.  It's amazingly humbling to have had that effect!  It also serves to remind me that there are a lot of other "bunny people" out there who feel the same way I do.  I just hope that this continues to spread and reaches people who haven't yet experienced the joy of being owned by a bunny!

One more thing - thank you to ALL rabbit rescue people out there - rescue directors, volunteers, foster homes, financial support.  Together we can make a difference in the lives of our beloved rabbits.

Why Rabbits?

Why rabbits?

You know, it seems like I’ve been asked this question a lot lately.  Why did I choose pet rabbits?  Why do I choose to help rescue rabbits?  They’re a lot of work.  They take up a lot of my time.  People see them as “children’s pets”.  You can get one for $15.  Why not just get a dog or a cat?  Yes, I’ve heard it all.  If you’ve never had a pet rabbit (really had a pet rabbit – not one confined to an outdoor hutch), the answer is difficult to put into words.  

I don’t know what it was at the moment I laid eyes on the bunny that was to become Zoie, my first rabbit.  I was in a pet store, and there were all these cute baby bunnies running around.  My eyes just locked in on him.  I knew that he was mine.  I don’t know why.  There was just something about him.  Some little girl asked the pet store worker if she could hold him, and I watched in agony.  I was terrified that the little girl would take him home.  He was MY rabbit!!  Well, obviously the little girl didn’t take him.  Yes, my first bunny was an impulse pet store purchase, which makes me cringe now, but Zoie is the one that started it all.

I muddled through learning proper rabbit care via the internet and a rabbit-savvy vet.  I learned that Zoie’s cage was too small.  I learned he needed to be neutered.  I got a crash course in nursing a sick bunny.  My poor Zoie was very acquainted with the vet.  Despite everything he went through, his sweet, trusting spirit remained.  He fought so hard through so many illnesses, and when he finally couldn’t fight any more, I was devastated.

All of my bunnies since Zoie have been rescues.  Chloe languished in an outdoor hutch for two years in the hot Florida sun.  Milhouse was dumped in a park, where he was attacked by predators, and miraculously survived.  Kahlua was my lucky bun.  He was born at the rescue.  It is mind-boggling to me that someone, at some point, didn’t want them.  If you’ve never had a house rabbit, you don’t know the joy of seeing a former hutch bunny do a binky for the first time.  You’ve never experienced the happy leap of your heart when a timid bunny nose bonks you for pets for the first time.  You’ve never seen a neglected bunny toss a toy for the first time, or a malnourished bunny eat hay for the first time.  I can’t describe what it’s like.  It’s one of the most satisfying feelings on the face of the earth.  If you’ve never had house rabbits, you don’t know how funny they are – believe me, rabbits have a sense of humor!  They continually make me laugh.  You’ve never seen the intelligence in their eyes.  Rabbits are smart – some more than others, but they’ve all got it.  You’ve never had a bunny comfort you when you’re down.  I’ve had days when I just sit tearfully in the middle of the floor, and my bunnies always come running over, as if to ask, “What’s wrong?”  They proceed to nose bonk me until I crack a smile.  This is why I have rabbits as pets.

Why do I concern myself with rescuing rabbits?  There are so few people in this world who even care what becomes of rabbits.  To most, they are disposable children’s pets.  Dogs and cats have a huge following, which is wonderful, but bunnies need a voice too.  Have you ever seen a bunny with nails so long they have completely curled around?  Teeth so neglected they have turned into tusks?  Bunnies so emaciated that it’s amazing they’re still breathing?  Have you seen botflies, ear mite infestations so bad the ears fell down, broken bones, fly strike, or rabbits so riddled with reproductive cancer they must be put down?  To me, it’s astonishing that these bunnies keep fighting.  Even at death’s door, they will still have that spark in their eyes – that will that says, “I want to live.  I want to be loved.  I deserve to be wanted.  Help me.”  That is why I fight for them.

I have to listen to people’s cruel comments – from the intentionally awful comments to the completely ignorant ones.  “I love rabbits – they taste like chicken!”  “I used to have a bunny.  It got out one day and the dog ripped it apart.”  “Whatever happened to that bunny we used to have?”  I cringe when I hear these – and believe me, rabbit rescuers hear them on almost a daily basis.  It is shocking to me how little people care.  Rabbits are treated in ways that would absolutely outrage people were they dogs or cats.  Rabbits are still classified as poultry, which means they are exempt from even being humanely slaughtered.  So yes, I will keep loving and keep fighting for these amazing, intelligent, hilarious, strong creatures.

Why rabbits?

Why not rabbits?

 In memory of Zoie...the one who started it all (2002-2008)

Shark Men and Trawls

Whew, haven't written in a while.  I've been insanely busy.  Work is continually trying to kill me, and when I'm not counting fish, I'm taking care of various small furry critters.

Yesterday at work we did some trawls in northern Pine Island Sound.  While I was quite ecstatic to NOT be driving the boat, I was exhausted from 2 sawfish trips and a 600' seine trip already that week.  My arms were already shot - so the last thing I felt like doing was dealing with trawls containing gallons and gallons of drift algae and sponge.  Trust me, that stuff weighs a ton.

I was pretty excited for lunch - I had a delicious Publix sub waiting in the cooler for me, and we were headed to the beach at Boca Grande Pass for lunch.  Our second trawl took FOREVER to work up, and my stomach was growling the entire time.  Yeah, we only had 2 out of 7 samples done by lunch.  FAIL.  Anyway, here's my view from our lunch spot. Yes, you should be jealous.  I earned that lunch spot!

To my excitement, the ship from the show "Shark Men" is currently anchored in Boca Grande Pass.  In case you are unfamiliar, the ship Ocean is a converted crab boat that is now used for shark research.  In the show, they capture large great white sharks and raise them onto the deck of the boat using a specially designed platform.  They take measurements and tag the fish.  Oh, how I wish I could be on the boat when they do that!  Anyway, they are currently in Boca Grande to tag large sharks (hammerheads, etc).  I jumped up and down excitedly when we drove by the Ocean on the way to one of our sample sites.  Here it is!

I just wish I had had a better camera than my cell phone!!  Too bad we didn't have any time to go talk to them :(
If you would like to learn more about "Shark Men", check out the website here:  
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/shark-men/all/Overview

We did finally finish all of our samples, and it darn near killed me.  I was pretty crabby by the end of the day.  As the icing on the cake, I had to winch the boat halfway up the trailer since the tide was super high - couldn't back the trailer down far enough to make life easy for me.  Running on adrenaline and cheers from a couple boaters and charter captains, I winched that baby all the way up.  If you want toned arms, try my job.

Animal Rescue-palooza

Wow, what a week for the critters!!  After catching 6 sawfish in the field this week, I was quite enjoying my quiet day in the lab.  It was not to be.  The powers of work and animal rescue united!!  We found 3 less-than-a-week-old kittens.  They were pretty stinking cute.  They were cold and hungry, so me and my co-worker Amy warmed them up and drove over to Petco to get some KMR.  Once we got them warm and got some food in their tummies (and some poop OUT), they perked up and started meowing!  So cute.  My office became a kitten feeding station.  Lots of phone calls were made, and we ended up finding someone from E.A.R.S. (an animal rescue organization) to foster the litter.  Whew!  I don't really have any experience with cats, and neither does Amy (we're both allergic!), so it was a relief to hand them off to someone who really knew what they were doing!  I'm not a cat person, but they were darn cute.  We named the orange one Mercury...for the Mercury boat engines they were found under!

So after a day full of kitten rescue, I had a day full of bunny rescue!  A bunch of rescue people have been trying to save a terrified little bunny who is currently residing at the Tampa SPCA.  She's been abused and neglected, and has some health issues.  She's not doing well in a shelter environment.  Luckily, an SPCA volunteer has offered to foster little Bun Bun for 4 weeks, after which it looks like she will be traveling to a foster home in South Carolina.  Now we just have to figure out transport!

So after working on Bun Bun's situation this morning, I called a potential bunny home for our Ramona (they sadly never showed up), called a family who is being forced to give up a bunny they adopted from us due to tough economic times, and headed over to the Port Charlotte Petco.

I felt terrible - I've had an insane work week and haven't been in to Petco for a week.  Hershey was SO excited to have some exercise pen time!!  (Anyone want to help volunteer at the Port Charlotte Petco??)  I certainly enjoyed watching him binky around and nom his veggies.

Judd (the bunny being returned) showed up a short time later.  I felt terrible for his family.  They were in tears when they left - they clearly love him to pieces.  We are keeping Judd (well, now he is called Jinxie) on "hold" status for a bit to see if his family can get back on their feet - they want to take him back if they can.  What a heartbreaking situation :(

I loaded Thor up into the carrier to bring him up to the Sarasota Petco to meet his potential lady friend.  We braved the lovebugs and horrible traffic, and made it to Sarasota.  Thor and Amelia seemed to hit it off!  There was a bit of humping and chasing, but that's pretty typical.  Their new family, a nice young couple, came by (all the way from Sun City Center!) to come meet their new family members!  They are so excited about their new buns, and can't wait to take them home!  We will make sure they are bonded by the time they go home, but by the time I left Petco, Thor and Amelia were happily snuggling in a carrier.

Another volunteer, Amber, took the pair up to St. Pete, where they will be fostered until they go to their forever home.  Yay!