The past week was filled with the same mix of calls regarding wildlife - calls from people who wanted to help the animal they'd encountered, and calls from people who could not have cared less if the animal in their yard was killed... they just wanted it gone, out of their life, as if it were rubbish. This next story, though, was the clincher.
As it goes, it was Wednesday morning at Patrick Henry Middle School in Granada Hills, CA. A little girl, maybe 11 years old, watched as a gang of boys, a couple years older than she, pulled down a nest of house finches and began stomping on them, crushing and killing them, swatting at the parents who were desperately trying to save their babies. One of the nestlings managed to hop to the side where this brave little girl was able to race in and rescue it. She ran to the school's office for help. The baby bird was transferred to one of our colleagues, Valley Wildlife Care (an exceptional rehabilitation program in the West Valley). The nestling finch is in stable condition though it suffered substantial injuries in the attack.
Reading about this on their Facebook page, I contacted Brenda, Founder and Executive Director of VWC to see what, if anything, could be done about this latest incident of animal cruelty by minors. With her blessing, WildRescue issued a press release and contacted authorities.
It turns out that the Federal agency, US Fish & Wildlife Service, that normally investigates crimes involving native wild bird is unable to do so because minors are involved (Who knew?). That's okay - because apparently animal cruelty penalties are much more severe.
At this point in time, the Los Angeles Animal Services Animal Cruelty Task Force is taking the lead on investigating the heinous crime. We are supporting ACTF in any way we can, hoping the boys are swiftly and severely punished and that their parents are, too, held accountable.
We are also planning to honor the little girl for her valiant efforts and to counter the inhumanity she experienced. She witnessed murder - and, she took action. She put herself on the line to save a tiny life - something few adults would do. This must but embraced. We, along with Valley Wildlife Care, will be presenting her with an award in recognition of her compassion and bravery. If you have any thoughts, ideas, or want to be involved, let me know.
So, all of this has lead me to, once again, question, why. Why are we seeing an increase in the frequency and intensity of acts of animal cruelty by minors? Why does it seem like more and more people view wildlife and nature as something of an annoyance that should simply be disposed of? Perhaps it is something called Nature Deficit. I'll end this solemn and sobering Wild Byte with a recommendation for a book, Last Child in the Woods, which explores the phenomenon. I just ordered myself a copy.
Thank you, once again, for supporting WildRescue!
