You may have noticed that my "Disclaimers" and "Thoughts to Ponder" on the front page are somewhat contradictory....then again, maybe not.

Well, it's like this.

Thanks in no part to oil companies, logging companies, mining companies, pastoral companies, etc. etc. that are destroying our planet and ripping people off, and useless governments that let them get away with this wanton destruction all in the name of the almighty dollar, this planet is going to hell in a handbasket. (Yes, I am a socialist). For example, let's look at the 2000 American Presidential Election. Imagine if an election like this took place in a third world country. I sometimes wonder if elected officials have to answer for their sins when they die, because we sure as hell have to deal with their sins while they're in office?

I find humour (ie. the Disclaimers) as a way of dealing with the one way track of destruction our society seems to be going. On the other hand, my points to ponder include sayings of Chateaubriand, Ghandi, Enstein and many others. (Hey I said in the disclaimers that parts of this website were ripped off). Dr. Martin Luther King, one of the greatest Human rights advocacates to have ever lived is quoted extensively. While my own personal interests lean more toward preserving what's left of our environment, we must not forget the billions of people who are living under dictatorial govrnments. And while the so-called "free world" has "human rights", goverments of those countries -- including Canada -- are controled by the mega corporations whose economic interests strongly outweigh those of the environment, the wildlife within it, and even the people that live within the borders of these "free" countries. A bunch of the other "thoughts" are just stuff I found here and there -- some are plain fun and subversive. If you read a bit further on this page, you'll find out some of the stuff I'm doing myself to help keep what little that's left of the natural world natural.

Calgary is a city of about 950,000 nestled between the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the western prairie. The Bow River, one of the best trout rivers in the world, flows through Calgary's city centre. Anglers come from all over the world to cast their lines in the Bow. Calgary is a nice place to live. It's small, relatively clean, has lots of park space, and has a relatively low crime rate. No tornados, hurricanes or earth quakes. The only thing that drives people here nuts is the weather. But then there's a saying here: if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes because it can and will change several degrees that fast - in either direction - up or down.

I have had a wide variety of jobs in my life. I've worked in warehouses as a picker, a shipper/receiver, and even a lead hand on occasion. I've been a press operator, a graphics cameraman, a DJ in a rollerskating rink, a library assistant, stacked books in a library, worked in a zoology lab, and done data entry. Most of these jobs have been less than rewarding.
There have been be a couple of jobs I actually liked and enjoyed. For one summer I was a naturalist/interpreter at a wildlife sanctuary. Got paid to go for walks in the wilderness. Quite fun.
Currently I'm a Mad Scientist. Yes I said a Mad Scientist. I get paid to play with dry ice, make slime, blow things up and several other "fun" activities all in the name of science. Well, in the name of teaching science to kids and making it fun.
However, I'm always looking for a way to improve my lot in life. If you could use an employee who's honest, resourceful, and hard working, I have a resume included on this web page if you happen to be looking for a wildlife enthusiast.

For about five or six years now I have been volunteering in Wildlife Rehabilitation for three different organizations.

Me and and an injured Osprey Me feeding a two week old Mule Deer Fawn Getting kissed by a Giraffe Photo © 2003 Brent Thompson Used by permission

It is a very "hands on" activity and you get covered in feces, puke, blood, pus and a variety of other bodily fluids. However, it is very rewarding to see an injured animal get nursed back to health and sent on its way. Sadly though, some animals don't recover from their injuries and expire or their injuries are often severe enough that they must be euthanised. The mandate of wildlife rehabilitators is to rehabilitate and release the animals. Since the animals are going to be leaving the rehab centre in one way or another, (hopefully a healthy release) it is obviously a good idea not to become too attached to them -- these are, after all, wild animals. (Sometimes it's a bit difficult not to "cuddle" them a bit.) It is also very important to place a great emphasis on educating people on the importantance of preserving all wildlife and providing information on the damage that humans cause to wildlife - both intentionally and unintentionally.

Wildlife centres often get calls from the public about "problem" wildlife. Bats that are in their attic, magpies and crows making too much noise or eating their dog's or cat's food placed on the porch. They get calls about skunks under their sheds or porches, or about rabbits or deer eating their lawn or flowers. What people fail to realise is that urban sprawl is invading the ANIMAL'S territory. If you don't want wildlife in your back yark keep your damned pet food inside your house - don't put out anything that will invite them to your yard. Almost 95% of animals that come to wildlife centres are their because of what humans are doing to the environment - putting up skyscrappers, powerlines, barbed wire fences, cell phone towers and any number of man-made structures. Cars, guns, and pets take their toll on wildlife as well.

Click here to find out more about wildlife rehabilitation.

Click here to find a wildlife rehabilitator near you

One of my favorite past times is phototography. Wildlife centres are great places for a shutterbug like myself and I have a few pics from the last few years posted on my photo album.

I've also spent a couple of years volunteering with the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in Calgary. It's a great place to relax and enjoy and watch wildlife, particularly birds. ....and take a few pics. Most of what I do is PR type stuff. Greeting visitors, advising people of unique birds that have been recently spotted in the sancturary, giving directions, and trying to keep people on pathways.

One place I particularly love to volunteer at is the Calgary Zoo. I do education progams, tours, and some behind-the-scenes activities. It gives zoo visitors a chance to get up close and personal with some of the zoo's animals. I have even been kissed by a giraffe! And have the picture to prove it. Actually I didn't really get "kissed". We were behind-the-scenes feeding the giraffes. Normally you hold a piece of carrot in your hand and the giraffe will come and get it. I decided to have a very brief case of insanity and put the carrot in my mouth. The giraffe came down and got it. INSANE! Very insane. Giraffes have a 45cm (18 in.) tongue. And no, the giraffe did not 'slip me the tongue'.

I've also done behind-the-scenes programs with lions. Let me tell you, there is nothing to make you more aware of your own mortality than having a pure predator stare at you from less than a metre away. The look in a lion's eye tells you that you are nothing more than a potential meal to it, and if there were not bars between you and it, you would be lunch.

Perhaps my favorite behind-the-scences area is with the elephant. The three female elephants at the zoo that have direct contact with humans. All other animals are fed, handled, treated, or contacted in any way through a barrier of some sort. I have had the opportunity to hand-feed, brush off, wash, and even pet an elephant. However, perhaps the biggest thrill of my life was when I got to sit atop one. It's a loooonnnnnggg way up!

Another place I used to volunteer is the Sam Livingstone Fish Hatchery. I've volunteered there for over four years acting as a tour guide and interpreter showing off the hatchery (often to tour groups) to people of all ages, and, in the process, try to educate the public on the process of raising fish -- more specifically trout -- more specifically yet, rainbow trout (although SLFH also raises eastern brook, brown, and occasionally cut-throat trout and arctic grayling (which is a cousin to trout). Each year the hatchery releases about 3,000,000 fish into publicly accessable lakes and ponds in the province of Alberta. No fish are put into private ponds or sold to private hatcheries.

Often the hatchery gets tours of children (schools, Cubs, Brownies, etc.), and it's quite amusing to see the crestfallen face of some 5-year-old boy when you have to tell him there are no sharks or piranhas anywhere in the hatchery or for that matter that there are no sharks or piranhas anywhere in Alberta. Kids just want to see sharks or piranhas -- watching the Discovery Channel too much perhaps. Everyone gets excited when visiting the hatchery -- particularly fishermen -- when they see the display aquaria where the hatchery keeps an assortment of trout. The hatchery used to have some 40 cm, 2 kg rainbow trout but they outgrew their home and were released into the wild (pity the poor fisherman that catches those ones). The biggest fish there now are some Cutthroat and Eastern Brook Trout about 35cm long and a kg or so -- they too are outgrowing their aquaria and will be released. SLFH also get out into the community during trade fairs and whatnot and bring information about the hatchery to the public.

For a couple of summers I have also took up volunteering with the Calgary Bird Banding Society. As the name suggests, the society bands birds of all sorts, records statistics on them which then get stored in a huge database and enables scientists to track motions of migrating (or not) birds. I have also helped rescue fish out of irrigation canals when they are shut off for the winter. Fish stranded in the canals would otherwise die if not transported back into a river.

I don't go out to movies too much...IMHO there's very few movies that are worth the price that theatres are extorting for flicks these days. However, I do enjoy watching old science fiction B-movies from the fifties and sixties. Forbiden Planet and The Day the Earth Stood Still come to mind. Anything produced or directed by Mel Brooks, Roger Corman or Terry Gilliam is great. Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail and Life of Brian are definite all-time favorites. Other movies I never tire of watching: Repo Man, Return of the Living Dead, the Star Wars Trilogy, and any Mel Brooks' movie.

This page last updated November 30, 2003