Wild Things!

As you can tell by the chain on this wolf's neck,
I did not catch this picture of him out in the wild!
He was part of a teaching seminar hosted recently
by the Old Independence Regional Museum
of Batesville, Arkansas.

It was my privilege not only to see a wolf up close,
but also to see several birds of prey.

This, and the picture above are of a grey hawk.

The man holding this horned owl is Rodney Paul
who works with "Raptor Rehab of Central Arkansas".

The owl was rescued after it was kicked out of its nest by its mother
because it was blind. 

Mr. Paul explained to us that although the blindness was temporary,
the owl had already bonded to him, and could not survive in the wild.
 

This monkey-faced bird of prey is a barn owl, also known
as a farmer's best friend because of all the mice he devours!

If you click to enlarge the photo, you can see the restraints
that keep him from being able to fly away.

I think the most important thing I learned that day
was that it is illegal for you to keep a feather of any protected
bird of prey.  If you have a feather in your possession,
it could mean you are guilty of killing the protected bird,
and could involve prison time!  So BEWARE, if you, like me,
have a habit of picking up feathers when you're out on a walk!

Although this wolf acted pretty tame, I still wouldn't trust it to have overcome its wild instincts.  There is coming a time, though, when God says,

"The wolf will live with the lamb,
 the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
 their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
 as the waters cover the sea."
Isaiah 11:6-9

WOW!
Won't that be a wonderful time,
when the wild things are no longer wild!

 

Thanks for your visit!

Click HERE to see "Names of God on Rocks".