CLAWS,
is a wildlife rescue, rehab, and education organization that is entirely
non-profit, all of the work is done by volunteers. Even Kindra and Vinny, who
run CLAWS, only get paid in animal pellets and other things they clean up.
Volunteering with CLAWS has taught me a lot of things, from working with
wildlife, to working with people, and I enjoyed every moment of learning.
To start
as a volunteer with CLAWS is to go right into working with the public. Everyone
starts volunteering at a public educational event. Most people start as a
spotter, someone who stands next to a holder and keeps the public from getting
too close. However, I started out holding Grip the African raven, so right away
I was talking to the public. Telling all these people why he was one of our
permanent education birds and answering questions about Grip, ravens in general
and CLAWS. I don’t normally like to talk to people but doing it to educate them
about the birds made it easy. It helped, of course, that each bird’s story is
like a script. I learned how to talk to
people, and that it’s not so hard to do if you're talking about something you
enjoyed.
As I
continued volunteering at more educational events, for the next 3 years I got
to hold a variety of birds, such as Grip, the African raven, and Eastern
Screech Owls. The Screech owls think they are very fierce, but are also very
tiny. Both Grip and the Screech are level one birds. I also held The barn owl
River and barred owl Watani level two birds. At a recent show, I got the
privilege of holding Kiwi the Coopers hawk a level three bird. Holding all the
different birds and learning their stories were amazing, each of them has a
different personality and I enjoy holding Grip every bit as much as a Kiwi.
Other
than at shows there is another way to volunteer, and that is to take phone
shifts. On phone shifts calls are forwarded to your phone and people leave a
message with their name, number, county and information about the animal they
are concerned about. When on phones you listen to these messages and call the
people back to tell them what they need to do, be that put the animal back in
its nest, leave it alone, bring the animal in, or put them in contact with
another rehabber in their area who can help when we can't.
Taking
phone shifts requires you to talk to a lot of people from a variety of
backgrounds and dispositions. Sometimes telling the person on the other end of
the phone that they have a fledgling, a bird that has just left the nest and is
learning to fly while it's parents continue to care for it a process that takes
1-3 days, and that they should return the bird where they found him and just
let him be is easy. Sometimes it's not, people are often convinced that
fledglings are full grown birds with broken wings or legs and they want to hear
is that they are right and that they need to bring this animal to us or better
yet bring it in and take care of it themselves which isn't legal.(?) you have
to convince these people to do the right thing and take the bird outside and
let him grow up. This is just one example of how you have to talk to people and
even convince them that you know what you are doing and that the bird really
will be fine in the wild. Taking phones doesn't have a fixed script, what is
required to ask and say changes with every phone call and sometimes you have to
contact Kindra to ask her what she wants done about a particular case because
you don't know. Taking phones taught me to ask if I don't know and how to talk
to a variety of people. Talking to people about animals also taught me patience
because when someone calls you about an animal they think is injured they are
generally scared for the animal and possibly have already talked to multiple
people who couldn't or didn't help them before they get to you, so they might
not be frustrated and not the most polite and open to what needs to be
done.
Lastly,
over the summer, I got to volunteer at the base of operations for CLAWS. While
volunteering over the summer, I did and learned so many things. I got to work
with the injured animals who were coming in, but I also made food bowls for the
permanent animals, I helped inventory supplies, and I filed paperwork and set
up the filing system. Knowing how to be organized and take stock of what you
have and what you need are important life skills both for work environments and
everyday life.
Tatiana W.
Age 17
Volunteering for claws has, and continues to
be, an incredible experience. I started volunteering when I was about ten, and
I was incredibly shy and hated public speaking. However, from the first moment
I held an owl in my hand (well actually on my arm) I would not stop talking.
Over time, speaking while working with animals gives you the chance to develop
your public speaking skills, because the crowd doesn't focus on you, they focus
on the animal. This allows you to get comfortable speaking to crowds without
immediately having all the attention on you. Aside from public speaking skills,
just working with the animals is rewarding. Nothing feels better than seeing a
small, sick, and/or injured animal come in, helping nurse it back to health,
and then getting to see it be released into nature again. You also get to form
a special bond with the permanent animals. You learn their habits, and even
learn to pick up on their cues and body language. Over the years I have noticed
that I've gotten better at picking up social cues with humans as a result of
this. The experiences you have at claws stay with you forever, and volunteering
there hasn't just taught me these skills, it has truly broadened my horizons
and allowed me to meet some truly amazing people.
Stephen S.
Age 18
I like CLAWS. When I didn't
volunteer with CLAWS, I was scared to be in front of crowds, but since I
volunteer now, I'm not afraid of crowds anymore. I am comfortable because I
held birds and I talked about them, so I'm more happy than scared. CLAWS taught
me that rehabbers help animals. I was afraid of shots and the first time I saw
one, I felt shaky. Then I learned that shots can help animals when they are
sick and then I was not very scared.
Sunny L.
Age 8
I
started at Claws over six months ago and ever since then, I have become more
confident in public speaking, handling animals and taking on responsibility. It
all started when I went to a Claws event and asked about volunteering. I was
thrilled when they accepted me even though I was only 12 years old.
I
started out as a spotter, which allowed me to observe the person holding a bird
and pick up information about certain birds. I learned a lot about
responsibility on my first event, when I got to hold Gimli, an Eastern Screech
Owl. I had a more experienced volunteer watching me and making sure that I was
handling the bird correctly, which helped me to understand the proper way to
handle the bird hands on. Over time, I was allowed to hold other birds, as I
learned more and more at each event.
Learning
how to properly hold birds wasn't the only thing I learned during my short time
with Claws so far. I also learned a lot about animals in general, weather it
was on their very informative Facebook page, which is appropriate for children
too, or through their willingness to answer any and all questions as accurately
as possible.
I have
learned about the many species that live in North Carolina, the anatomy of a
bird, and that not all owls are
nocturnal. I have picked up many new words that are related to animals. I have
also got the chance to learn how being a rehabilitator works.
Volunteering
at Claws has given me the opportunity to speak to large crowds without being
put on the spot. Because I'm usually holding a bird while talking to the
public, I feel that I'm sharing the spotlight, which makes me more relaxed and
gives me the chance to enjoy the experience.
I was
also invited to a special class by Claws that went through the basics of bird
first-aid. I got the chance to inject fluids into a barred owl, which I LOVED!
I wouldn't have got the opportunity to get such hands on experience anywhere
else, especially as I was only 12.
Over the
months that I've been with Claws, I have gotten the chance to learn about the
things that interest me the most. I have learned much more than any book can
teach me thanks to the openness of Claws. I look forward to volunteering with
them in the future.
Emma P.
Age 13
