| On September 23, 2002 at 8:00 p.m. one of our directors received a call on her cellular from the hotline coordinator. An urgent call had come in from a conservation officer in Calgary South regarding a found ferret. Here is her story� With adrenaline pumping, I made contact with the conservation officer and was off to Fish Creek Provincial Park, a 60 square kilometer green space in the southeast quadrant of Calgary. When I pulled up to the office, I gritted my teeth as the officer brought out a Tupperware box suitable for a dozen muffins with holes punched in the top for air. I discovered that a group of local students on a field trip had spotted the ferret earlier that day and it had taken officers most of the afternoon to catch her. Not being ferret savvy, they sustained her with water and plums. When I opened the container, I gasped. I had never seen such a malnourished ferret. Knowing there was no time to waste, I transferred her into a carrier and sped off to her new foster home. When I arrived, we immediately weighed and measured her. �Trinity� was 22 inches long and a mere 500 grams; nothing but organs, bones and flesh. Praise be to the foster parents. Within fifteen minutes Trinity had been bathed, had her ears cleaned, and she even had a manicure. We proceeded with all of this as she put up no fight whatsoever. Her eyes closed and opened with relaxation as the warm water rinsed away the dirt and grime she had accumulated. She waited patiently with no fuss while nails were trimmed and ears were swabbed. Then the good stuff� while sub-Q fluids were on their way, she was treated to as much �chicken soup� as she could handle. The little miss was hungry and a little reluctant at first, but shortly after she was daintily lapping up quality nourishment after lord knows how many days outside through snow and rain. While one group gave sub-Q fluids, the others prepared her cage with fuzzy hammocks, food, fresh water, litter and toys. After 1 hour of being poked and preened, she settled in with a sigh of contentment. The next day we alerted all newspapers and governing bodies of the found ferret. To our dismay not one call came in. This sweet little ferret was abandoned. The vet estimated that she had been out in the elements for about 5 to 7 days and would not have lived longer than a day or two if the kids had not spotted her. Trinity�s condition steadily improved and the volunteers involved with her rescue are amazed by how great she looks today. She was adopted by her foster parents and now has a bunch of ferret friends, love, warmth, and plenty of toys! |
| Trinity |