Kia ora
Welcome to “The Change Makers” – a weekly video series.
In this series our Change Makers share their stories, their thoughts, their ambitions and their actions to leave the earth a better place – to be a Good Ancestor to future generations.
Our planet is experiencing catastrophic environmental harm and it requires us to Think Long Term, beyond our lifetimes, to evaluate our choices and to take actions to ensure a sustainable and healthy future for all.
The stories of those leading the change – The Change Makers – those thinking and acting with long term vision, are inspirational.
Inspired, we can ask ourselves, “what can we do to become Better Ancestors?”
This week, Better Ancestors visits with the South Island Wildlife Hospital in Christchurch Aotearoa / New Zealand. The Wildlife Veterinary Trust operates this very special hospital facility – one dedicated to treating and rehabilitating injured and sick NZ native birds and reptiles.
We are unique in the world. With the exception of bats, Aotearoa has no native land-based mammals. Our bird populations, over the aeons, adapted to this – some, like the Kiwi, are flightless, and others nest on the ground. Into this environment introduced predators like stoats, cats, possums and rats wreak havoc - pushing populations of our precious taonga towards the precipice of extinction.
Humans directly exact a mighty toll too. As Pauline (trustee and veterinarian) explains, 99% of animals brought to the hospital are suffering because of interaction with our species, Homo sapiens.
The trustees and volunteers who make this special hospital possible are helping to fix this problem. They are truly inspirational.
And in this uncertain time, with so much of our focus upon the health of people it is thought provoking to consider the welfare of our indigenous fauna.
Without our taonga species, we have no forests. Without forests we have lost our fresh water and the air that we breathe. As Hugh Wilson told us in Better Ancestors Episode One “it’s as existential as that”.
For more information and to support the South Island Wildlife Hospital please visit:
https://www.wildlifehospital.co.nz/help-us
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https://www.betterancestors.org/
Episode 19 premieres next week, Sunday 16th May 2021.
The Change Makers
made possible by the New Zealand Regeneration Investment Group.