A real good reason to dispatch HOSPs and EUSTs

[Equilibrium]

This here is a 13 year old golden eagle. He can’t ever be released to the wilds because of a broken wing…. he can’t fly. His “mom” is a rehabber and uses him for educational programming and then he goes home to a huge enclosure where he can walk around free from predators. He’s 1 of the raptors that gets some of our homemade “Swanson” frozen dinners.... HOSPs and EUSTs in ziplock baggies. He’s molting right now so he’s not in his full glory.

[wildwatcher]

Now that is an excellent place to take your frozen dinners, and just think you get to visit the bird now & then and don't have to do the daily care of the raptor, W2G Equilibrium!

I think the animal is glorious, I'm sure it would scare me just be in the same room with it.

I wonder if you ask your rehabber for a receipt for the organic frozen dinner, therefore establishing some sort of dollar value, to be used as a tax exemption for your taxes...yanno, like a 'donation' you might make by giving some books to the library.

ww

[Equilibrium]

I don't really get to visit the bird. That was a fluke. I didn't even know she was getting my swansons frozen dinners until after the event when we were talking and I mentioned to her that I put birds in ziplocks and drove them up in a big cooler for people like her. I mentioned that I only did it a few times a year because I needed to make the trip worth the gas back and forth. She told me she'd heard a woman from Illinois had been bringing in birds for years and made the connection before I did that I was that woman and that her bird was 1 of the recipients. We'd never met before. It was kinda neat meeting her and seeing 1 of the birds that eats our EUSTs and HOSPs.
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The eagle wasn't scary at all. He's used to people and she keeps everyone about 10' away from him so his space isn't invaded by humans. The only time the bird seemed agitated was when there was a problem with the microphone. Then it became noticeably stressed.

[jack]

Originally Posted by wildwatcher

Now that is an excellent place to take your frozen dinners, and just think you get to visit the bird now & then and don't have to do the daily care of the raptor, W2G Equilibrium!

I think the animal is glorious, I'm sure it would scare me just be in the same room with it.

I wonder if you ask your rehabber for a receipt for the organic frozen dinner, therefore establishing some sort of dollar value, to be used as a tax exemption for your taxes...yanno, like a 'donation' you might make by giving some books to the library.

ww

Glorious is a great word for that species. This is nobility, not as appointed by indebted and biased decree, but by nature. Gifted with incredible vision, intelligence and strength, it humbles one to see one.

[Equilibrium]

ww> backing up a bit.... I don't think my swanson's frozen HOSPs or EUSTs have any value but.... I'm dropping em off at a non-profit so I can take the mileage on my car for the 30 miles up and the 30 miles back on our taxes. All I have to do is remember to get a slip for them when I go up and.... I get hung up looking around so I always seem to forget to do that.

[wildwatcher]

They have value, to the animals that eat them.

You have correctly given the invasive type HOSP's & EUST's your personal value by processing, freezing, selecting specific species, transport, packaging.

I know this: if the rehabber didn't value the food you bring, they would not use it, and tell you why. The last thing a rehabber wants... are daily food related problems with animals in their care. Some people think: 'just about any carrion will do as feed' but it isn't true at all. Specific dietary considerations are a large part of returning wildlife to the wild, this is what makes your personal gift valuable to wildlife.

~~Having said all that... my thought was to bring the reality of the value, so that value may be accurate, and then as such endeavors may progress the value of the HOSP's & EUST's as a feed source should not be underestimated, and possibly even increased with value now the populations of HOSP's & EUST's are unknown hundreds of millions.

So whocares if there is no monetary value of frozen HOSP's & EUST's? ~~Well I do. Just think if there was a monetary reward for your personal collection effort. Would not the others in society perhaps also want to cash in by doing the same thing? I look at it like this: 'if you find you want to keep native species thriving, and you work at it, then why not make the invasive's value increase to make it happen'.

This goes back to the basic systemic logic of the leadership of this country by and large: they clearly forget to offer the reward for doing the real, meaningful, important work, when a value is not attached. If commercial value is set upon any invasive, then and only then will the public at large attempt to cash in and cooperate with best practices.

But as far as I'm aware, the government hasn't put a price on the head of HOSP's & EUST's, and their is no commercial value of those invasives either. So basically the government & commercial commerce is endorsing the success of the HOSP's & EUST's to further overtake our wilds, simply because there is 'no value' attached.

ww

[Equilibrium]

Unfortunately.... you're right. Our government is allowing our wilds to be overtaken. It's so sad.
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There's value to people like you and me removing HOSPs and EUSTs from the environment and there's value to us when raptors are rehabbed... not so to many others which is a shame considering all the tax $$$ blown on "educating" us so we will care. It's really not that big of a deal putting them in ziplocks but... I'll admit the freezer gets a little bit "stuffed" by the time I take a run up and we do keep ice cream in that freezer. I can say 1 thing.... we've gotten quite a few wide eyeballs looks from people finding out what's in all the zip locks when they go to grab a push up or a ice cream sandwich. 1 of our son's girlfriends refused to take an ice cream bar after she found out it had shared space with the raptor food. I thought it was rather odd considering they're in ziplocks and all the ice cream is individually wrapped and in boxes but.... whatever. BTW.... I'm not the only 1 donating. I've seen 5 gallon buckets in the freezer of white and hooded rats that someone breeds specifically to donate to their program and I've heard there's somebody out there donating juvenile pythons I think.... either that or some other really large non-native snake.... who it is.... I haven't a clue... I've never run into anyone up there dropping off at the same time I was dropping off. Me.... I couldn't raise rats to donate.... they're too cute. It's a good thing somebody else can because I realize the raptors benefit from a varied diet.