Through Animals' Eyes: True Stories from a Wildlife Sanctuary

by Lynn Marie Cuny

Founded by Lynn Cuny in 1977, Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation (WRR) provides rescue, rehabilitation and release of orphaned, injured and displaced wildlife. WRR also gives permanent care, in large natural habitats, to indigenous wildlife who, due to severe injuries, have been deemed non-releasable. Permanent care is also provided for non-indigenous wild animals who have been victimized by the exotic pet trade, rescued from roadside zoos, or retired from research facilities. WRR rescues over 5,000 animals annually and maintains a 365-days-a-year wildlife emergency hotline. Through the stories of her experiences with the various animals, Lynn hopes to dispel the belief that non-human animals do not reason, have no emotions, show no compassion for each other and for other species.

Lynn’s stories from WRR range from the humorous to the tragic, from the surprising to the inevitable. The animals she describes range from the day-old field mouse to the three-legged coyote; from a fox-loving hen to the exotic and abused mountain lions, macaque monkeys and black bears. Always, she reveals the dignity of each animal, trying to survive in a world made cruel and dangerous by the thoughtlessness of humans.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals

168 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1999

Reviews

[Mitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

In order for a person to dedicate so many hours, days, nights and years to the cause of raising, rehabilitating and housing hurt or abandoned wild animals, you have to care deeply about their plights- as this author clearly does.

Her stories of her (and their) experiences are touching to anyone who likewise feels that such animals deserve better than they've gotten either through human agency or from nature.

(But it's primarily humans that are the bad guys here, make no mistake.)

Bothersome to me is the author's ascribing human motivations, emotions and thought processes to wild animals that clearly don't have them. She doesn't do this all the time, but there are clear instances in several places where she does.

Additionally, she hammers away at the point that the best life for wild animals is free in the wild...which is true most of the time, except when Nature in all its glory cuts the animal's life short without a qualm...which is also true.

So the book is an interesting combination of human compassion, hard-edged realism (best for the suffering animal sometimes, to kill it), romanticism about nature, and anthropomorphism.

Or you could not view it so in depth and just be happy there are good souls out there who take care of sick, hurt or abandoned animals that cannot help themselves.

[SaraKat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book an extra star because it was set in my town and mentioned many places that I frequent and it was nice hearing about things animals from familiar places. The stories alternate between touching, humorous, or heartbreaking. It is always hard for me to read about tragic happenings with wild animals, but it is nice to read about people doing something to help them. The voice used to tell the stories was a little sentimental at times and there was a good deal of anthropomorphism that will appeal to some readers, but not others.

I think that we are all different. Humans from apes, apes from elephants, elephants from ants. But "different" does not translate into "less than." To me, different means exactly that: not the same.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too much anthropomorphising the animals for my personal taste - lots of attributing animal behaviour to human norms and feelings. But it was interesting to read the stories of all these different animals, and the book is pretty well written.

[Alannah Irwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick & niche but my favorite type of short stories❤️

[EstelleLiterature · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite stories in this collection are: The White Pelican, The Fox Couple, and the Female Bobcat.

[Tom Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great and moving short stories from the perspective of a wildlife rescue organization.

[Susan Iverson · Rating 4 out of 5]

a collection of short essays; easy read, and full of affect. Wonderful to cry and laugh in the same story