Back to the Wild
I met Mr. Bartender when we were both working at Sea World in the animal care department. Animal care is the department that takes care of the untrained animals (not Shamu, he’s trained.) But the otters, dolphins, manatees, whales, etc. in the petting areas or rescued and nursed back to health. Once we had a rescued otter spend the night at our house.
Then Mr. B moved on to be the Duck Master at The Peabody Hotel. If you haven’t heard the story of the Peabody Ducks, check it out here. But that also meant there were times when we had mallards living at our house.
Needless to say, we’re very fond of animals and animal-related causes. Mr. B has a degree in wildlife biology from Ohio State University (go Buckeyes!), so we enjoy going to zoos and nature preserves.
Which brings us to this post. Mike VanDervort, over at The Human Race Horses, decided to include a charity component in last week’s HR Carnival. Each blogger was asked to provide the name of their charity of choice with their post. For me, there was no question the charity would be focused on taking care of animals.
Years ago, we discovered the Back to the Wild Wildlife Rehabilitation and Nature Education Center. It’s located near where my father-in-law lives in Ohio and we try to visit every time we’re up there. The facility takes in injured and orphaned wildlife with the purpose of rehabilitation and release back to the wild (hence the name.)
In addition, they are equally committed to teaching the need to preserve and protect our environment. Back to the Wild hosts over 50,000 students and visitors each year.
I am truly impressed with the accomplishments of Back to the Wild. And, in fact, so are others. In 2006, Mona Rutger, director of Back to the Wild, was named Animal Planet’s “Hero of the Year.”
Because Back to the Wild operates solely on gifts and donations, I named them my charity of choice during the HR Carnival of Global Giving and have created a donations page on HR Bartender to help further their mission. Mr. B and I hope you’ll consider tossing some spare change in the Bartender’s “Tip Jar” for Back to the Wild. Thanks and Cheers!
(Editor’s Note: All proceeds raised will go directly to Back to the Wild.)
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