© Flickr/DanIn the heart of winter in 2015, I spent four weeks interning at a wildlife rehabilitation facility in New England. Animals had always been my passion—from volunteering at shelters as a teen, to taking courses related to animal behavior and ethics in college and interning with various wildlife protection organizations, to my graduate program in animals and public policy, the requirements of which included a four-week animal-related internship. This was going to be my first hands-on experience helping the wild animals whom I loved so much.[teaserbreak]
Until that point, much of my animal protection work had been focused on policy—on numbers. How can we do the most good for the most animals? We come back to this question again and again to guide our work in animal welfare: where can we help the most? But, while this question is absolutely crucial to progress, sometimes thinking on such a large scale can feel overwhelming. When the issues we work on affect hundreds, or thousands, or millions of lives, it’s easy to lose sight of the individuals and feel intimidated by the challenges in front of us.
For me, lead poisoning of wildlife is an issue I had always thought about and worked on in the abstract. I knew that, despite its toxicity to animals and people, and the availability of excellent alternatives, lead is still the most common form of ammunition used in hunting and is frequently used in fishing gear, as well. I knew that, each year, lead poisoning kills an estimated 10-20 million non-target animals, and contaminates land and waterways. It was an issue I cared about deeply, yet the sheer scale of it made it feel almost intangible.
That changed during my time at the wildlife rehabilitation facility. A lethargic and slightly emaciated bird, a pied-billed grebe, was brought into the facility by a local fisherman. He was obviously weak and struggling, his breathing labored. Radiographs revealed fishing gear stuck in his gut. A blood test confirmed that his lead levels were quite literally off the charts and, unfortunately, we had to euthanize him. And, while this story is incredibly sad, it also grounded the issue of lead poisoning for me. Seeing the individuals affected by this problem helped me feel more connected and gain a better grasp of the issue as a whole. It’s one thing to talk about the millions of animals who die each year from lead poisoning. It’s another to see an individual struggle with it right in front of you.
Thankfully, Born Free USA urges legislators to oppose lead ammunition, like through this bill in California and this bill in Oregon.
So, keep working to save the hundreds, the thousands, the millions. But, don’t lose sight of the individuals. At Born Free USA, we believe that these individuals matter. Seek out their stories and let them fuel your work. Use their stories to build connections and make issues more tangible when raising awareness and doing outreach. We are advocates for entire species, but also for all the individuals they encompass.
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
