We were invited to visit our friend's place of work (she's a veterinarian), at a place called A.R.K. They save animals who are injured or unsuitable for the wild, and they nurse them back to full health. If they can't be brought back to full health, they become animal ambassadors. So, you might see them at a zoo or an aquarium.
We got to go into 3 buildings and view 4 rooms in total.
The first building we entered was the kitchen, if you can call it a kitchen. There were birds in cages off to the side, as well as 2 BABY OWLS!!! Their names were Ben & Jerry. I think that they are Great Horned Owls. Oh, right, the kitchen is also where they prepare the food for the birds and the turtles... *Ahem*
Moving swiftly on from that, the next place we visited was the clinic. It's where the creatures get their medication. We got to see our friend and her assistant draw the blood of 2 turtles. One turtle was definitely more calm than the other, though. The annoyed turtle was smacking it's fins on the side of the tub repeatedly! It was very entertaining, but kind of pitiful. The building was also where they stored turtles that were either soon to release or needed surgery. We got to see them splashing water all over us, because it was close to feeding time and they were very excited.
The 3rd place we got to see was the holding area. It was where a bunch of turtles were mostly peaceful in their tanks. It was a lot of fun learning a few facts about the turtles, and seeing their wounds. We were also able to see how much they've healed.
Final area of the morning... the aviary! All the birds hung out in their cages, most not being releasable. Most of the birds or turtles end up at the local aquarium, but some go to other states. We got to see hawks, turkey vultures, pelicans, owls, and a few more breeds as well!
My favorite part was definitely seeing the tiny owls hovering in their cage. The poor things were orphaned when their tree was cut down!
Thanks for reading!
