I've been following the talk on volunteering and thought I'd throw in my
views.
 
I volunteer at a large wildlife rehab facility.  For the most part, I clean
cages and feed animals, very necessary tasks, of course.  I have asked over
and over to learn how to handle certain animals, to learn to inject sub-q
fluids, to learn a lot of other things.  I haven't really been given the
opportunity to do those things.  I have taken a large number of babies home
with me to raise and have been quite successful at it (all at my own
expense).  They, of course, are released into the wild.  The director has
not one single time said "thank you" to me.  The employees occasionally do
thank me when I leave.  I have faithfully gone to this facility every
single weekend (except 2 or 3) for nearly a year and a half, and I even
call when I won't be there.  I've been told that only one person was
working on a given day because they knew I would be there.
 
How have I handled this perceived lack of appreciation?  Well, I now am
primarily working with another wildlife rehabber who rehabs out of her
home, as most of you do (shelters).  I have learned more from her in the
couple of months I have been helping her than I did during the year and a
half I went to the "big" facility.  I have handled kestrels, barred owls,
hawks, adult possums, etc.; animals I was never allowed to even touch at
the other facility.  I'm learning a lot about medications, nutrition, etc.
She always takes the time to answer my questions (and I ask tons of them)
and lets me have a lot of supervised hands-on experience.  I've been able
to watch the development of bats, raccoons, foxes, etc.  I even get to
cuddle, Mr. Lipinski.  (I believe that animals in captivity need some sense
of security in the strange world they've been placed.) That's the fun part.
 
I also get up to my elbows (and beyond) in poop while cleaning cages.  I
chop vegetables and fruits for feedings.  I handle dead mice, rats, and
chicks to be fed to raptors (Yuck!).  I enter outside aviaries
[Moderator's note: The post ended abruptly here.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 2742]