The Other Side of Fear is Awe
When the student is ready the teacher will appear. Tao Te Ching
©KathyKarn
I was touched by a recent comment to last week’s blog about World Giraffe Day. Micheleina is a member of my online writing community who lives on the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts. Although Micheleina is a woman of extraordinary courage, energy and heart on many fronts, she shared with me that she did not grow up with pets and is afraid of most animals.
Can I confess a bit Kathy, I love these pictures, they are remarkable. But I think maybe if I see these animals up close, I might run in the opposite direction.
Micheleina has decided to face her fear with curiosity.
I will take some time and be curious about that. Thanks for giving me access to your beautiful world. Thanks for helping me to see things, animals and people I would have never noticed.
When we stay curious, we stay open. With an open attitude preconceived thoughts and feelings have less control over us. When we are open change is possible.
A keeper at Reteti Elephant Sanctuary feeds an orphaned elephant who will eventually be released back into the wild. © Kathy Karn
Not everyone has the privilege of meeting a giraffe in the wild, but all of us can learn from animals. Nature is everywhere. We are all connected. There are conservation heroes around the world who are raising awareness about the importance of protecting our natural world.
Visitors to David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust learn about wildlife rescues like little Raha an orphaned endangered black rhino. Raha will be cared for until she is old enough to be reintroduced to the wild. © Kathy Karn
In my conversation with Micheleina I couldn’t help but imagine how her view of animals might have been different if Odette Doest, a vet on the island of Curacao, and her feathered teaching partner Bob the Flamingo, had arrived in Micheleina’s classroom when she was a child.
Photo credit Jasper Doest
Odette’s story appeared in the February 2020 issue of National Geographic magazine.
Veterinarian Odette Doest rescued Bob in 2016, after the bird slammed into a hotel window and got a concussion. While rehabilitating the bird at her nonprofit wildlife sanctuary, Fundashon Dier en Onderwijs Cariben (Foundation for Animals and Education in the Caribbean), Doest discovered that Bob previously had been domesticated: He was very relaxed around people, and he suffered from bumblefoot, a chronic foot disease common in captive birds, which would have impaired his ability to catch food in the wild. For those reasons, Doest decided to keep him as an educational animal at her sanctuary, alongside some 90 other animals.
Just don’t try to take a #Bobselfie. “That’s not what Bob’s about,” Doest says firmly. “I have Bob for people to think about nature and the environment, and how a slight change in their habits can have a big impact on nature around us.”
Here’s a delightful video story about Bob the flamingo and how he and Odette are raising awareness about nature and the environment. Follow Odette @vetdoest on Instagram.
I encouraged Micheleina to keep her eyes out for animals in her environment. Today she sent me this image and note. The student is ready!
Look who I spotted on the beach this morning in Antigua
Didn’t get too close, but I was super curious — especially after our banter yesterday.
Photo credit Micheleina Charles-Hazelle
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