Nov
19
2010
Escapades of Cabuya
Author: KristiAll of the volunteers of Rainsong Sanctuary decided to take the day off and head to Isla Tortuga. We had been drinking the night before so the boat ride to the island was horrendous. Once we got to shore we fled from the boat to the solid refuge of the beach. After we lounged around, tanned and frolicked in the water for a bit it was lunch time. ZumaTours made an amazing feast, some had tuna and others had chicken, served with potatoes and a light salad. It tasted amazing, we also had fresh fruit to finish. After lunch I was out baking under the sun when Sonya was about to run by, but she suddenly stopped at my feet, grabbed them and began to drag me to the water by my ankles. Everyone on the beach stopped to stare at the poor girl getting dragged to the water. Sonya pulled and pulled; she fell at one point but finally got me the water’s edge. I then jumped up, ran after and tackled her into the ocean. All in all it was a great day not spent at Rainsong.
The next day Claudia and I took up an offer made by some local friends to learn how to surf. We searched for the perfect location to learn, but the waves were just so big! Claudia and I dreaded getting out of the truck every time we stopped at a beach with waves that looked like they would kill us. We finally found a spot where the waves looked good enough for learners. Rafa took me out first, unfortunately by this time the waves were too small for surfing. We sat in the water with me trying to just balance on the board on my tummy.. this was a difficult task for me.. laugh if you wish. Then when it was time to come in and switch, a huge wave came and knocked me over into the sand. I could have built a sand castle with all the sand that wound up in my bikini. I was NOT impressed. Poor Claudia had a short turn in the water before we decided to head in.
The following day at Rainsong was a difficult. One of the baby raccoons, Bandido, was quite ill. She was just lying in his cage and lost his over-active personality. The owner of Rainsong, Mary, called the vet and asked what to give him. The vet suggested a medication that Mary happened to have in the fridge, unfortunately it had dried out. Mary had the GENIOUS idea of adding water to the dried up medication and it turned the medication to a paste. One of the other volunteers, Laura and myself just looked at each other in shock that Mary thought this would be a good plan. There is no disagreeing with Mary regrettably. We took the medication in a syringe and got Bandido to drink it. It was so thick she had a difficult time getting it down. We took her down to the “rancho” (food prep area) and discussed how brainless Mary was for what had just happened. All of a sudden Bandido started screaming. It was the most unnerving thing I have ever heard. Laura put Bandido on the ground thinking she had done something to hurt her. SHE continued to scream with her paws straight out in front of her. We rushed up to Mary’s room and asked her what we could do to help her. She was gasping for air. Mary quickly called the vet so she could hear the sounds of her screams. But by the time she got through, Bandido had already gasped her last breath. She died in Laura’s arms. I started to cry immediately and walked out of the room. I took the bullet and walked up to break the news to the rest of the volunteers up at the farm. Everyone was devastated that one of the most loved animals had passed away.
R.I.P.
Bandido