The report of voluntary activity | I introduced you how I and red-eared slider, Kamemi took an active part
in voluntary activity"Animal Assisted Activity" in old age home. At first a friend of mine, who has been already visitting the old age home with her lovely dog gave us a chance to begin the activity. She introduced Kamemi and me to the health center of the city where we lived supported this activity. So we joined the members of the voluntary stuff. |
To the old aged home.
| After taking bacterial examination test, the day when we take part in the
activity at the first time has come. But I felt quite uneasy about a lot of
things. I decided that I brought only Kamem of our two turtles, because she experienced
in touching people and going out much more. But I may give Kamemi to troubles, and her visit may be disagreeable for people. (Even if she is a lovely pet for me, but she is a kind of reptile, besides she is a pretty big one.) However such an anxiety I had was blown off at once. Contrary to my anxiety like this, she was a favorite with people of the home we visited at the first time. Not only old people, also the stuff of the home, everyone came to see Kamemi and said "Show me the turtle, please." with great joy, and touched her shelter, held her....Even people who said " I don't like turtles "or " I feel them a little uneasy.", touched her shelter with timidly from their feeling that dare to want to touch their weak thing, and they all were in the high spirits with saying " I could touch the shelter of such a big turtles at first time !" This was a glad surprise for me. Some old people told me about the tortoises that they had been keeping at their home before, and their memories about turtles etc. An old lady told me with sad looking that the turtles she had been loving for a long time at her home had died as soon as she entered the old age home.An old couple told me with streaming eyes longingly the memory of their old days they used to ride on the shelters of the big turtles (I wondered if they were such big turtles as Galapagos tortoises or Aldabra tortoises.) when they lived in a southern foreign country. (I was very glad because they recollected such great turtles from Kamemi.) A old lady thanked to Kamemi happily," Thank you very much for looking my face firmly such a old lady like me anybody doesn't feel like looking." Another old lady told to Kamemi,"Please come here again." holding
her to her breast, not to feel like part from her even the time when we
were back had come. She is not a kind of lovely mammal with soft and warm touching, and she is a reptile with a hard and cold shelter. And her looking is a little
grotesque. But the old lady held her firmly with love. I was deeply moved by it.
In the other hand, turtles is well known as the animal, which lives long
as well as a crane. It may be one of the reasons why they welcomed Kamemi's visit. After then we moved form the town where we
did this activity. So to my sorry I didn't take part in it anymore. There is little chance
that turtles can join the activities for many reasons, though I wish to
do again. I hope to be understood about tutles and have many chances that turtles
also can do voluntary activities and I wish I can have many friends in
the future, too. |
About bacterial examination test
|
They say that turtles, especially red-eared sliders often have kinds of bacteria for example salmonellasand so on, at any case.Every animal which visit to the old age home, not only turtles need to
check if they don't have bacterial, and be sure they are clean and health
before they do voluntary activity. On the other hand, it is very important also to advise them to wash their
hand after they touched any animals. We can take the examination test of
bacteria at the animal hospital. |
