Message from the President Spring 2017

By Cyndy Mymka

My day started as it often does with my going to the computer and checking e-mails. It usually includes many petitions primarily to do with animal welfare. Unfortunately there seem to be more and more of them entering my inbox. You wonder and can’t imagine how some people can be so horribly cruel to animals, doing some unimaginable things, so whether it is to seek justice for an animal or to make animals lives better you read and sign. Between what as a rescuer you have seen personally or what you read, the images often never leave you, and you are profoundly sad.

Then the e-mail comes through that the seal hunt has started 2 days earlier than expected, and you have already received an e-mail about the cruelty that goes along with that. Hunters already being charged for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, and you are left feeling sick in your stomach for what animals, farm, wild, and domestic, go through on a daily basis. Your heart breaks a bit more each time, and you wonder when it will end and pray it is soon, so that all animals may experience the love, safety and peace they deserve to have.

So when it all felt like it was too much, I had a lovely conversation with my 10 year old nephew, who told me how much he loved their newly adopted rescue cat. She has brought a little more light and happiness into their home. For a little boy who was hard to wake up in the mornings he now goes to bed a bit later, after some extra playtime with Lily, and gets up earlier to see what she is doing, and to get in some playtime before he’s off to school. He gave the TRACS name to his out of school teacher, who is running a summer camp for out of school care, and they have decided that one of the topics they want to cover is animals and their welfare. So in July we will educate some pretty wonderful children on the importance of properly caring for the animals in your life. What a great education opportunity.

Then I attended a fundraising meeting to plan events for the Okanagan Cat Coalition (see page 4 of our spring newsletter) of which TRACS is a member partner. To see 5 groups coming together so enthusiastically to make the lives better for the community cats of the Okanagan was amazing. It wasn’t about “us and them” it was about how we can all work together for some forgotten cats. Truly inspiring.

When I got home there was a message from a long time TRACS supporter about an upcoming walk to draw attention to abused laboratory animals (see page 6 of our spring newsletter). At 70 years of age this dedicated, compassionate lady has not given up the fight to stop abuses of any and all animals. Being an animal advocate for most of her life she has taken up many causes for many animals not worrying about what species, just wanting lives to be much better for all. You can spend hours with inspiring people like that, “kindred spirits” as it were and leave feeling just a bit more encouraged to persevere and carry on, that maybe not all is lost, and praying one day it will be better for all the creatures left in our care.

So what is the take away from this? What can you do in “your world” whether you be 10 or 70? Take every opportunity to make the lives of the animals that come across your path, computer, wherever just that much better. Everyone has the chance so please make sure your eyes are open to see them, and then act upon it.