One of the advantages I enjoy living in Southern Oregon is that I'm not all that far from an organization called Wildlife Images, which is a rescue and rehabilitation center for wild animals of all ages that also serves the important purpose of educating the public about them and their habitat. WLI is run entirely on donations and contributions, and is as much a no-kill shelter as it's possible to be — which means they do their level best to preserve the lives of crippled and injured animals, even those they know they can't release back into the wild.
The animals are cared for by volunteers who do the messiest — dare I say most disgusting — of jobs out of sheer love, and the rewards are great. Beyond this, they have a unique opportunity to photograph their charges — bears, cougars, raptors, bobcats, foxes, a very cool lynx, squirrels, skunks, otters, an ibis or two — you get the idea. Now, one of the volunteers has decided to post some WLI pictures on the web. If you're interested in seeing some very cool photos, stop by here and take a gander.
At present, there are perhaps 25 or so pictures available for your viewing pleasure, and the plan is to add up to a dozen per week.
And a reminder — if you're inclined to contribute to help animals, donate to local shelters, which are always run on a shoestring and which will almost certainly use your bucks for the well-being of animals, rather than for propaganda.
Brian