There's this magical thing that we call "life". We can all recognize when it exists and when it goes away whether we're talking about a plant, an animal, humans, or even bacteria. It's very basic, but it's also very fragile. As kids we learn about this frailty and about how final death is. And so, since I was a child, I've held a high respect for life no matter what form it takes.
For this reason I do not squash spiders I find in my house. They get a free ride over winter (except wolf spiders who get to tough it out in the garage), and they get moved outside if it's warm enough for them to survive. I also feel bad pulling weeds. And after it rains and the worms come out I do my best not to step on any and have even driven my car around them when they are big enough to be seen. I don't take this respect for life lightly!
So, Tuesday night I lay in bed, unable to sleep, thinking about the upcoming lab where we have to euthanize mice and rats. And, I'll confess, I almost took one home to save it from its fate (but I didn't feel it'd be fair to put it in a truck and move it to California in a few months). But, knowing that they were being sold as feeders for snakes, and knowing that with us they'd be euthanized peacefully under anesthesia, I came to terms with it. Where the night before I swore I'd talk my way out of having to euthanize one myself, I ended up volunteering to do it in lab.
All-in-all I understand the need to do this lab and I'm happy that the teacher and class were respectful for the most part and we all did everything we could to make their journey to the "big cheesus" as stress-free, quick, and painless as possible. And the necropsy lab that followed was important and valuable as well.
So, it wasn't fun, but it wasn't as bad as I feared either. It's sad for sure, but I think it's important to come to terms with the fact that what makes life so precious is its ability to be extinguished at any time. Wild animals face this all the time from predators, the elements, difficulty finding food/water, disease, humans, cars, and so on. Blah, I can't fully justify it. But I can come pretty close. :-\ RIP our little rodent friends. You taught us a lot and we thank you. :(
