Revenge

Revenge. Not really a word in my vocabulary. I do occasionally hold a grudge but hey...who doesn't. I try to forgive and forget. I try not to get even. I try to forgive people that do horrible things to animals....but my day started out with a quest for revenge.....a quest to get even, an attempt to get even. With Darcy gone to her teaching conference, my morning routine has changed quite a bit this week. It always used to revolve around the kennel, the barn and my personal hygiene before running (usually late) to get to school before my students. This morning as I trudged to the kitchen to make coffee, I got that funny feeling I was being watched (again). Only this time it wouldn't be one of my fawns....

I tried to shrug it off as nothing. I started looking out of the windows ...struggling to see as much as the sun was struggling to reach me with its rays. Then I saw it, I was shocked, in disbelief and outraged all in the same split second. I will never forget the image....it is burnt in to the center of my brain. Yeah, you figured it out THE COYOTE.

Just one, the same one that used to frolic around my pasture with my sheep in between eating them. The same one that used to sit and watch me drive my Clydesdales at 2 am under the outdoor riding arena lights. My former friend turned killer....the coyote that most likely killed my fawns. He was about to get taught a lesson. I normally don't have a problem with predators. I actually like them and would rehabilitate them if needed. This lone wolf had crossed the line. He was sitting 75 foot in front of the barn. Right smack in the middle of my barnyard. In his glory, watching the activities of sleeping animals waking up all over the 200 foot long aisle of my barn. Besides for the geese, that were unusually quite and the lack of deer in the pasture, it was relatively normal..... Kind of like the way I look when we go to dinner at the Grand Buffet. This meant war, he had crossed the line when he killed the deer. Now to violate the sanctuary of the inner barnyard, I made the 1 second decision ....

As the kids lay in bed, sipping their "warm juice" chocolate milk, I ran to the bedroom, unlocked the gun safe and got the biggest rifle I own. Now I don't want to give you the impression that I am John Wayne. I own 3 guns, a 22, a 20 gauge shotgun and a 30/30 rifle. We bought the gun safe when one of our students was killed while screwing around with a gun. With 3 kids of our own under 11, we needed one. Back to the story, I grabbed the rifle and one shell. A beautiful, brass shell that would show that coyote how it feels to be hunted. I really should have grabbed a couple of shells because I am really not a very good shot but around here....men kill with one bullet.

I snuck like a lion through the savanna grass onto my front porch. This was an easy shot. He was a sitting duck...I mean coyote. I hadn't ever shot this rifle before but I wasn't worried...I got the coyote in the middle of the scope...it was time for revenge.....good night buddy and good riddance. I was shaking like it was my own life and family I was protecting. I held my breath and gently squeezed the trigger....

BOOM !!!!!! I listened to the echo through the mountains. I heard the kids screaming and jumping out of their beds to see what I was destroying. The rifle kicked back and cut my eyebrow, I knew instantly that it would swell up and be black and blue. I knew I had got him and couldn't look away from the train wreck I was about to see. By this point a huge cloud of dust exploded around the coyote, as he jumped to his feet and started trotting up the pasture towards the woods. I am really surprised that I didn't scare him to death.

I ran back to my bedroom and grabbed another shell. I wasn't going to be the laughing stock of every man in Middleburgh. I made it back to the porch, Just as the coyote stopped,the darndest thing. He looked towards the farm, almost like he was sorry that I missed. It could have been he felt sorry for me and was contemplating tossing himself on the end of the gun barrel so I could get my revenge. With the percision of a SWAT Team sharp shooter, I slid another cartridge into the gun.

Got him in my scope and pulled the trigger for the second lethal time. It was a long shot but I was capable of making it.....I could . I look back now, if I had a grenade launcher I probably couldn't have killed him but I tried. I hope that he thinks twice about messing with me or my animals again. Next time he might not be so lucky. I have to get home and do chores. Wes

Thinking

Thinking. I've been doing a lot of that the last day or two. I asked Jules, NELR Project Manager if we could get a disclaimer. Something that would say that my moods, opinions, and attitudes are solely my responsibility. I am not going to participate in sharing my private thoughts and feelings if other people are not going to respect them for just that..... I have agreed to do these blog entries to let people know what I actually do. To insult, give people gossip or ammo to use against me is counter productive and I will not waste my time if that happens with those negative people. I am hoping that if people that love animals (as much as I do) get to learn about our facility, you may want to help my cause. Very few facilities have what I have built up over the last 20 years...When you actually "travel" through my adventures with me I hope that you validate what Ive dedicated my life to. I have never been good at asking for help or money, I don't want to start now. Jules has been trying to get me to step up to the next plateau for 2 years. I have finally realized that I am at my limits as one man. Without help, I can no longer continue to help the animals that I am being asked to, most don't have a chance without me. I get too many emails and phone calls to afford to respond to every rescue on my teachers salary. That bothers me, I can't sleep at night. My "wait list" is growing daily with everything from a coatamundi to antelope. You might be thinking...there are other facilities. You are wrong, not for the animals that I deal with in the Northeast. My credentials are second to few. I have more degrees, licenses, certifications, inspections and references than anyone probably in the Northeast whose only purpose is to rescue animals. I have almost bankrupted my family several times, but I have a hard time asking for help or money. Especially from people that I dont know. I wasn't brought up like that. But the animals can't speak for themselves so that's why we are here today. My first goal is to always have a paid vet bill (which it never is). My second goal is to raise about $100, 000 in donations to put in a heated facilities for birds, reptiles, primates and exotics that cant handle winter weather or may be sick. I have been online. I know that there are other rescue groups and rescue facilities in the USA but I have found none that do what I do. There is a big void in the cold Northeast for Exotic rescue. I can't explain it all in this short Blog but I have seen things that most people couldn't imagine. I've climbed over piles of dead animals to save the ones that were hiding. I have spent hours removing barbed wire, halters and auction ear tags out of animals. I have acted when others have said "oh that is terrible" and changed the news channel.... I am here and I make a difference. I really am not a hero. People ask me all the time how I got into this....I always say I didn't plan on it, it just kind of happened. As I became one of the leading authorities (nationwide) on exotic animal rescue people often ask me how many animals I have....I say I dont know, it depends on the day and they won't stand still so I can count them. Besides we are too busy taking care of them to take the time to do a head count. I have never made a dime but the feeling that I get when I take the frightened, near death animal...rehab it, nurse it back to health, gain its trust, get it trained and eventually find it the perfect home or release it back into the wild is PRICELESS. One way or another, I will continue doing what I do but that is not good enough. I want to establish a not for profit rescue facility here at my 165 acre farm that will outlive me and be continued when Im gone and no one else will answer the call. I am only 39 years old and I know that this will take awhile to do. Tonight as I pulled in the driveway from work at my high school. I forgot everything and dropped everything to watch Sierra get a ride back home with her owner Steve. She is the pregnant mare that I talked about in my last blog. She is going home to be pregnant and we can worry about driving her next summer after her foal is well established. Colin and a couple of city guys (that have a weekend place further up the hill ) stopped down for dinner. What a great bunch of friends I have. ... My wife is so awesome, she went to a teacher conference in Texas for a week and she left me homemade frozen dinners that all I have to do is pop it in the oven and serve to whoever might be here and be hungry. After dinner, we were talking about my Blog and what I do. I said that I didn't want to write anything that people didn't like. They said to be honest, be me and write about the good and the bad in only the style that I can. That is what I am going to do. After over 20 years of rescue work, I am going to share my triumphs and my tragedies, the good things and the bad things. Dont judge me, just experience it as I do. Some nights we will laugh, some nights we will cry. To know me, you really need to get to know my animals (this could take awhile). Starting this weekend. I am going to start introducing you to EVERY animal on this farm. I will tell you their story so you can experience what I experience and know. I will post photos of every new animal upon their arrival and if/when the day comes and they graduate to a new home....you will see that to..... As a NYS licensed Nusiance Wildlife Control Officer, I will take you on calls with me. I will show you a whole lot of life and we will trudge through the battles and death. I will give you my pledge tonight. I will never do wrong by the animals. I hope that you enjoy getting to know me, my animals, my farm and what thousands of animals experience on a daily basis. We are open to the public free of charge (donations accepted), if you are in my neighborhood stop by. Everyone that reads my blogs past, present and future that wants to help the cause....tell all of the people in your address book about me and what I do....don't forget to give them the blog address northeastllamrescue.blogspot.com and tell them to bookmark it so they can check in often. I also want to encourage everyone to feel free to send me comments. I need the verbal support somedays! I will not post any of your comments without your permission. Sorry I was kind of serious tonight, I want to make sure that we are on the same page. Wes

I am actually starting to look forward to these daily blogs.

It is much cheaper than therapy and my counter and email feedback is letting me know that people are actually interested in what I am doing.

School was interesting today. The local public library does a tag day every Election Day. They basically give you a slip of paper for tossing your pocket change in a can that says you supported the public library. Residents wear this slip of paper to avoid the people all over town with cans. The library uses the money to buy books (Hope they buy John katz's new bestseller).

The busy lifestyle that we live....most teachers at the school don't actively participate in "selling" the tags to the kids....pretty poor in my opinion that educators dont support the public library. I created a friendly competetion (no, there isnt any such thing with me) to see what Social Studies teacher 6 - 12 grade could get the most donations. I of course expected to win but I was pleasantly surprised at how many of the great teachers that I work with (in our department ) actually rose to the challenge. We raised a good chunk of change (literally) for the library.

The entire day at school, getting change out of (broke) kids was fun....but I couldn't stop thinking about the farm (as usual). I was preoccupied with 2 things. One was the safety of my fawns....way up on the mountain...with blood thirsty coyotes prowling around...looking for an easy meal (at my expense) and my poor "babies" in their 1 acre enclosure learning how to be wild. Now, keep in mind...I increased their odds with a couple of llamas but one of my farm kids Aaron had told me last night he saw signs of a "kill" up on the mountain. I didn't think much of it....until I had time to sit still.

Let me tell you a little bit about Aaron. He came to the farm because he needed a purpose as much as I needed help. I am not an easy person to work for or work with. I run every where and think that everyone should read my mind and know as much about animals as I do. When I got up to the fawns' soft release area tonight, I knew as soon as I saw the llama, that there was trouble. I knew it already but I was trying to be tough.

When I got up this morning and was standing in the kitchen making coffee (before I went out to the barn)....I had a funny feeling I was being watched. I turned around and saw one of "my fawns" standing about 100 yds from my front porch. He was barely visible in the dawns early light, he was telling me....bad night....I went out on the porch and we just looked at one another for a minute or so.

He stood in the yard for over an hour. My Border Collie ran right past him (once I was dressed ) and started to make the trek for the barn....You see "Austin" knew that he was going to miss a ride on the Kubota RTV and wasnt going to stop to see what some deer's problem as. As angry as I get at Aaron because he often messes things up, forgets to work off the check-list that Ive left for him or leaves gates open.....I failed to listen to him last night when he told me (what I knew already) because I was busy. The fawns were in danger.

Colin (farm manager), Aaron, and one of my other students....who had come to slave at the farm for free and is probably too scared to ever come back and I went up to see what was going on. I investigated the spot where Aaron had seen the "pile of guts" the night before when he went up to feed them (because he likes driving the Kubota RTV more than he likes working at the farm).....He was right, I smelled death. I took out the jack knife and cut all the gates on the pen open. Told the guys that the fawns would do better free, not that they couldnt have gotten out of the 5 foot fence back in august when I moved them up there. We found one other eaten fawn as we were trying to get the last llama out. We did everything by the book to protect the fawns but sometimes, as in the wild, death happens.

Of course the silly llama (if she could only talk) didn't want to leave the pen. We don't chase animals at Red Maple Farm. I said let's go.... Back at the barn I put a halter on a cranky little alpaca that I rescued (that has a bad attitude) and told Aaron and his friend (also one of my students) to walk the alpaca up the mountain, let the llama see them and walk back to the barn. Of course, I had put a llama halter on him (the alpaca) it had already slipped around the alpacas neck and off Aaron went as his friend watched...probably thinking poor guy. I suggested that he join Aaron, off they went...a mission doomed to failure.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch Colin and I (and a Border Collie named Austin) set about to putting a renegade goat in for the night so he didnt become dinner. Of course, Aaron came back off the mountain in the pitch darkness....while I was cleaning the dog boarding kennel. Put the alpaca away and was ready to call it a day. I hope that he realizes that sometimes I expect more out of him than he is probably capable of but hey life is a test so he needs to listen and toughen up. Of course, I came out of the kennel. Asked where the alpaca and llama were, gave him hell when I found out he had let the alpaca lose. While Colin went to recatch the alpaca (which he doesnt like and the alpaca likes him less) I freaked out in typical Wes fashion.

Darcy and the kids got home from Walmart (I was wondering where the heck they were) and Hannah came over to see what my problem was....As Colin ran the guys home....I marched up the mountain with the alpaca in tow....Coyotes yipping all around...with my daughter following (from a distance) with the RTV. I am not sure what she was actually doing, hoping to witness me being killed by coyotes, if I could actually do the mission or if she just plain felt sorry for me.

Any way, the deer are free....I am alive, Aaron probably thinks Im a jerk and I got the Camelids back down to the barn. I am bummed about the 2 lost deer, wildlife are very difficult to read. I kept telling myself that only 25% of rehabilitated wildlife survive. I planned on 100%, boy mother nature can be cruel. I guess that death of one species, is the survival of another....just wish I wasn't providing the grand buffet.

I really can read animals....When Steve and Karen brought their Paint Draft Mare this past Sat. to be taught to drive, as soon as she got off the trailer....I began "reading" her. She was telling me that she was scared, hasnt had a "home" and really wasnt up to whatever I was doing because she was pregnant. I got her settled in, continued to communicate and question her owners on the possibility of her being bred..... They didnt think so but since they had only owned her for 2 months....they didnt really know. They got thinking about it and called me last night to let me know that they wanted to have their vet out.

I was hoping that I could sneak away from school to hear the verdict in person. When I eventually got home, Steve and the vet were long gone but "the girls" in the dog grooming shop here at the farm informed me I was right and Sierra was 5 months pregnant. I love it when the vet tells me what the animals have already told me. My vet often asks me what "my hunch" is....and I am normally right on. I talked with Karen tonight. They are probably going to cancel driving lessons (which is what I would do) and take the mare back home to get settled in to what she had started to get comfortable with. I wish that Sierra could stay here and have her foal with me but as I explained to Karen.....I never put money before what is right by the animals. I guess today is just another day of death and (future) life here at the farm...

Another day in paradise. Wes

Monday Madness

I hate mondays....I often wonder if we had 3 day weekends if we would hate Tuesdays. Busy day. Finished off a chapter with my students. Rushed out of Homework hour after school for a teacher conference with Emma's Kindergarten teacher. Picked up Jacob at Karate (Darcy got to do gymnastics with Emma). Rushed to Barbers to get the day old veggies off the roadstand (the potbelly pigs like them) and then rushed home in the dark....Maybe it is daylight savings time that is making my days shorter. Aaron, one of my HS Students that helps out around here said he saw something up on the mountain that looked like a dead eaten fawn. Hope it isnt one of my fawns , I will check it out at daylight. It would really piss me off if after 7 months of rehabilitation a coyote grabbed one of the fawns that has jumped the soft release fences up on the mountain. I know that it is nature and that the coyote has to eat but I wish he would eat a deer that I don't know. Speaking of Wildlife Rehabilitation. Darcy and I got our "offical" test results but I dont want to smear it in her face that I got 5 points higher on it....Even though she thought she got a 100 and I took the exam after I had already taken the Nusiance Wildlife Control Officers exam 5 mins prior. ... It is alright Darcy, I will still let you do a late night fawn feed at 2 am when I cant move anymore. I emailed Chris at DEC to get the interview, get the Rabies Vector facility inspection (another class and certification)so that we can do baby mammal wildlife rehab next spring. I have already submitted the paperwork for the Nusiance Wildlife Control Officer certification. I thought that if I am doing all sorts of wildlife rehab now that I might as well get the State DEC license to charge people to get rid of their "pests". Combine all of this with the USDA license, I should be set to take in just about any animal (legally) that I run into. I still have to stay focused on getting a pen together for a redfox that is deaf and needs a new caretaker. A bunch of Nigali Antelope that are still looking for a place to call home after the CGF auction. Now since the septic is done, Maybe I can focus on the barn, rescues that are waiting for me and upcoming winter. My emails were busy today as usual. I think that I have found a home for some of the Australian Diamond Doves that I picked up, some bunnies that my daughter got from a friend and put some more great folks on the llama waiting list for the next pair of animals that come in that are kid 4 H potential projects with strong parental support .(I wont give kids animals).....I work with parents, with the stipulation that the animals MUST come back here if they are unwanted or uncared for. Ive sold just about all of the horse drawn equipment that I have to pay my taxes and finish the projects at the farm. I still have a sleigh and a Draft Horse Show Cart that I am going to sell to try to get in the blue again. I hate this time of year. It is a long payless summer as teachers, then we get back in school and get hit with school taxes....What is worse, property taxes right after the holidays...:) I think that I am leaving the Clydesdale phase of my life. I will keep the old guys until they are buried here but I have lost the desire to drive a 4,6 and 8 horse hitch competitively. It is very expensive, I feel guilty spending all of the money on them that should be going to my rescue work. I think that I will eventually just keep a team to plug around the farm, train horses that come in to be boarded and enjoy watching my girls do all the crazy things that I used to do on horses when I was their age...I love taking my gang to Western pleasure Shows in the summer. The girls all ride horses that Ive rescued and most of the time they/we place in the top 3. Darcy has been going full speed ahead tonight. Packing for a teacher convention in Texas, preparing us meals for the next week (so I dont order take-out) and "training me" on everything that she is afraid that I'll forget with the kids while she is gone....The start of another week....I really guess that it isnt so bad. Lot to do before the weather gets bad and the phone starts ringing for animals that need a home for the winter. I want to end with giving a plug for John katz. Yesterday the Sunday Morning show did a profile on him. A friend Teri Conroy gave me a bunch of his (autographed) books as a gift for hauling some llamas for her. I spend most of my time researching animals, little time to "pleasure read"....I emailed John to let him know that I love his books, he emailed me back. As my Border Collie lies by my chair, I can feel his love for his Bedlam farm. I encourage you to grab his books. I have read 4 of his "Border Collie - Farming Books"...he is great. I saw that he had a new bestseller in the airport bookstore on my way to a conference in Rome last month. It was 26 bucks, I think that I will see if the library has it...(Sorry John). Enough rambling for one night, Wes

PROGRESS

What a busy day today. A good friend Jerry Wayman helped me get the septic system and dry well in for the apartment. I have spent a lot of money and time getting a place for Colin Parkes, my farm manager, a place of his own up here at the farm. Colin is 20, a great guy, really into everything that we do here. I look forward to actually having someone living here at the farm that can help me out with daily chores and cover for me when I am on the road doing rescue pick ups. Busy day, we had over 30 visitors to see the animals while we were trying to get things done. What a relief to have the septic done....The apartment will hopefully be done and Colin will be living up here by XMAS. I really owe Jerry. He is a awesome "Handy Man" he does electric, plumbing, excavating, you name it. His number is (518)827-6080 If you live within an hour and need something done. It really is a relief to have the septic system done....Winter is coming so fast and I have so much to do before the snow flies. I am beat, Time to hit the hay, Wes

Wildlife

I dont want to overwhelm everyone the first night I "Blog" .... I have found a very rewarding niche. I had a fawn brought to me this april. I called a good friend who is a Wildlife Rehabilitator (and has a license). My farm is open to the public, I cant do anything illegal here .... She agreed to get me a temporary license and let me apprentice under her. I feel like I can finally make a difference. Anyone can rescue a goat (not downplaying the importance of that) but to raise 9 fawns my first year, soft release and watch them make the transition back into the wild has been one of the most rewarding things that Ive ever done. I always picked up turtles out of the road and relocated them but this is a 24/7 responsibility that I love. I love trudging out to the barn every 2 hours to do bottles (I created a great way of giving bottles without hand feeding them by putting the bottles inside bleach bottles suspended upside down with the bottoms cut off). I lost one fawn that had been run over by a bush hog but I gave that one my all. My wife and I went to a Wildlife Rehabilitators Conference 2 weekends ago. We both took our exams to be permanently licensed. I also did the Rabies Vector training so I could do mammals as well. I also completed the requirements to be a Nusaince Wildlife Control Officer. I figured that they could charge to remove wildlife. It could help support my rescue work....besides for our teaching paychecks, the dog grooming and kennel boarding facility and horse boarding/training. The highlight of my rescue work is the Peregrine Falcon that the kids at our local Karate School and I rescued from the middle of the road. peregrines are endangered species. The DEC had heard that there was a wild nest (with unbanded chicks) on the cliffs overlooking my village.... this juvenille bird probably was from that nest. The falcon had a small wing fracture. I am still hoping that it will be able to be rehabilitated from its injury and will be able to be released into the wild to hopefully breed and raise many chicks of its own. I have also started the inspection process. The USDA, DEC, Ag and Markets, and several other agencies will be here to license and certify my facility. I am very proud of what we have built here over the last 10 years. I have always believed that a rescue facility should be open to the public. 24/7 (within reason). I have been advocating recently that there should be some accreditation process to be a rescue facility. I believe that all wildlife rehabilitators should have to have their facilities inspected also. I can take constructive criticism and I am not afraid of a "surprise" inspection because I do everything daily that I wouldnt be ashamed for anyone to see. One of the things that I want to do on this blog is give a daily journal of the random acts of kindness that I have done for that day .... Let me translate, what animal did I rescue, what is the "story" with it. Is it available for adoption, If not ... Why and when. WITH A PHOTO of course. When an animal eventually gets adopted, I can post an adopted on the photo and maybe a first name. I am very protective over the name and address of who adopts what for 2 reasons. The most obvious, not all of the people that I "rescue" animals from need to know where their abused critters have went. I dont keep very detailed written records....I often forget where the envelope that I had that address written on is filed .... I would rot in jail before I gave an animal back to its abusive owners with a court order. The other reason why I will respect peoples' identities is that not everyone that "donates" animals to us want everyone to know their business, health, age, and othe r problems. In order to rescue animals, you need to deal with people and I always respect their privacy. Ive picked up and placed too many animals this month to list here. Just this week after school I ve picked up 2 fawns from another Rehabilitator to be soft released with mine up on the mountain (I have a llama guarding them from the coyotes)...:) 4 geese, 20 +/- rabbits and had a horse come in for training in how to drive. Ive also found a home for an old saddle horse, an unwanted Clydesdale, 2 llamas and 4 alpacas. The most depressing part of my week thus far was my lunch break today. We board dogs (one of the many ways we finance this place). "Buster" is a Golden Retriever that has been boarded with us for the last 4 years. He quickly made it out of the kennel and into our house. His dad owns a camp near our farm and picked Buster up on weekends when he came up from the city. Buster was going downhill fast. I know when I am fighting a losing battle and Buster was done....sick of life...at 14 he was ready to check out. During my lunch break from school I took Buster to the local vet to go to sleep....what a good ole boy...he died with his head in my hands, wagging his tail right up to the very end...My kids and I loved Buster....just as much as I love my own Golden Retreiver, Great Dane and Border Collie. Buster will be missed. Dogs are really Gods gift to us....Ive never had a better friend than my dog(s). My dogs dont care if I have coffee breath, are always happy to see me or ride "shotgun" in the truck on rescues...Good night and rest in peace Buster....

Ive found a home for a Clydesdale, 2 llamas, 4 alpacas and 2 goats.

My Introduction

Hi My name is Wes Laraway and with a lot of encouragemnet from my good friend Jules....I am going to try to keep a daily journal of what I do...Let me give you a little background. I was born in upstate NY. My parents didnt like animals but I was the type of kid that couldnt get enough of them. My second grade teacher actually wrote on my report card that if I had as much interest in my schoolwork as I did in animals that I would do better in school....Kind of funny since I became a teacher. I was the kid that always had a snake in his pocket, a toad hid under his bed or a hamster hid in the closet so his folks didnt find it. Unlike other kids, I didnt starve "my pets" it was my mission to figure out how to keep them alive.... I fed newts pieces with hotdogs on tooth picks, had a baby robin nursery ...and could never get enough of reading. By High school, I had 36 exotic birds in my bedroom. Hand feeding, trick training (enrichment) and cleaning consumed my life. While being very involved in extra curricular activities. Such as Pres. of Student Council, Eagle Scout, Drama, sports, Etc.. I decided to be an exchange student to Brazil and one of the worst parts was parting with my parrots. Upon returning from Brasil. I went to SUNY Oneonta as a teaching major. Met my wife Darcy, love at first sight and she is just as into "lost cause" animals as myself. We married, got jobs teaching school at Middleburgh Central School (where I graduated from) bought a farm and had 3 great kids. Hannah (11) Jacon (8) and Emma (5). I was always the "animal guy" that people called when they had a pet to cast away, an injured bird or an animal related problem. People often ask me how I got involved in rescuing animals.... My response is typically..."I didnt plan it, it just kind of happened". I can not say no to an animal in need (although I do limit the numbers of dogs, cats and horses that I rescue because there are great other facilities for that). My wife and I bought my great grandparents homestead 10 years ago. My intentions were to raise llamas, Clydesdales and Celtic Livestock. I quickly became known as "the Llamaman"...People have commented that I am the "llama whisperer". I do have a psychic communication with animals that goes beyond normal observation....but I dont consider myself a hero. I am a one man army. I quickly figured out that I could not keep every animal that I save. Especially when we currently rescue between 200 to 400 animals a year. My motto has always been "First Class not half assed". I do what I can do, have almost bankrupted my family several times but have proved that one person can make a difference in the life of an animal....even if it is only one at a time. Ive met hundreds (if not thousands) of animals (of several dozen species) over the last several years and I have never met an animal that I didnt like....even the animal now and then that tries to kill me. I am almost 40 years old, have everything that Ive ever wanted, a great job, great farm ,great family....what else is there? Last year (in Oct '06) I had a life altering experience. I went to the Catskill Game Farm auction. It really bothered me. I have no ill will to the Shultz or Lindemann families....If it wasnt for the CGF a lot of animals would not be in captive breeding programs. The simple fact is that captive breeding programs are the only chance that many species of animals have. There are more tigers in captivity in the USA then there are in the wild. As a rescue facility, I have a no breeding stipulation. I saw a lot of animals bought by rescue groups, private game farms and canned hunt ranches....I was thinking to myself....I cant believe that I cant help these animals. I was even more disturbed to see the big cats and the lack of facilities for them...I knew then that I needed to expand my 165 acre facility. Recruit some help, turn in the not for profit paperwork and do some fundraising. I started the process of getting the inspections, licenses, permits, and certifications that I would need to rescue virtually any animal. Not just peoples' unwanted pets and livestock. After a "little scare" thinking that I had throat cancer (it was benign), I realized that I was put on this earth to save animals. I realize that I cant save them all but I am a pretty important guy to every animal that I come into contact with. I need to go get my little monkeys in bed (my kids are on their post Halloween sugar high)and I will be back.....I hope that you will "get to know me" through my daily journals and validate what I have chosen to do with my life....save kids (in school) and animals here at Second Chance Rescue Ranch at Red Maple Farm. INC..