Tuesday, July 8, 2008

There are good days and bad days...

This about working here that make me happy: Lots of babies, lots of beautiful turtles, a great staff that generally speaking works really well together, answering questions from curious little kids, watching Gordito our little snapping turtle get fat, blogging about turtles, being with people who are also passionate about sea turtles, feeding turtles, taking turtles to the vet and going to Mexico. But I think one of the things that make me the most happy is when people look me in the eye and express their genuine appreciation for the work we do. For me this is a paying job, but it's also a way I can make a dent in the mess we've made of the world. And nothing makes my heart soar like a person who lets me know that they appreciate it when I take time to talk with them and answer their questions.

But then there are things about working here that don't make me happy. Fortunately that list is much shorter or I wouldn't bother working here. We are happy to accept any suggestions for possible improvement, but when a visitor comes in and suggests in ANY way that we are not doing our upmost to help these turtles and make them comfortable here it takes a lot patience and will power to calmly respond. I promise we love these turtles and do absolutely everything we can for them here. And there is a reason we ask visitors to keep their hands out of the tanks, so we are very frustrated by anyone who doesn't listen or accept that these turtles really will bite off your finger if so inclined. I had a visitor who told me it should be ok to touch them here because they had touched turtles on the beach and they have never been bitten. Getting bitten is only one of our reasons, these guys are sick - why should you be willing to risk making them sicker?

So thank you to all of you who support the me, the interns and Sea Turtle, Inc. It means the world to us to know how many people care for us and the work we do. But don't try to pet the turtles.

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