“I was studying biology at the university of Geneva, but I didn’t like it. Then I took a few courses in ethology, on animal behaviour, and I found it fascinating. I stopped university and I started doing internships and volunteering as an animal caretaker, and I fell inlove with that!
Once I was a volunteer at “SOS chats”, in Meyrin. The first time I met one of the cats, she slapped me as I was walking by, and I hadn’t done anything. It meant “you’re in my home, you have nothing to do here”. So every day, whenever I took a small break, I would play with her for 10 minutes with a stick. At first she was hiding in a corner, it was impossible to touch her, she was really huddled up. After 6 or 8 months, just by playing with her a little, she got closer and closer. Then I started scratching her with the stick, and then with my hand. And by the end she would climb on me! This cat had already been adopted 2 or 3 times, but was brought back because of her behaviour. But now she was adopted again, and everything is going well. So that’s a really nice story!
I didn’t used to really take the time to stop and look at my surroundings. And since I discovered the animal world, I can recognize the birds when I walk along the lake, sometimes even just by ear. I rediscovered this connection with nature that many people have lost, it seems to me. It brings me joy when I just sit somewhere and I see the animals getting closer and closer. Sometimes they just sit there, and I thank them. It’s just satisfying, it gives me a feeling of happinness, that’s all. Animals are easier to understand; they’ll let you know if they want you there, or if they don’t want you there. There’s this love without hiding anything, this pure love. Whereas humans are complicated sometimes. I’m going to sound like a crazy person [laughs] !”
(Jardin Anglais | translated from French)
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“I was studying biology at the university of Geneva, but I didn’t like it. Then I took a few courses in ethology, on animal behaviour, and I found it fascinating. I stopped university and I started doing internships and volunteering as an animal caretaker, and I fell inlove with that!
Once I was a volunteer at “SOS chats”, in Meyrin. The first time I met one of the cats, she slapped me as I was walking by, and I hadn’t done anything. It meant “you’re in my home, you have nothing to do here”. So every day, whenever I took a small break, I would play with her for 10 minutes with a stick. At first she was hiding in a corner, it was impossible to touch her, she was really huddled up. After 6 or 8 months, just by playing with her a little, she got closer and closer. Then I started scratching her with the stick, and then with my hand. And by the end she would climb on me! This cat had already been adopted 2 or 3 times, but was brought back because of her behaviour. But now she was adopted again, and everything is going well. So that’s a really nice story!
I didn’t used to really take the time to stop and look at my surroundings. And since I discovered the animal world, I can recognize the birds when I walk along the lake, sometimes even just by ear. I rediscovered this connection with nature that many people have lost, it seems to me. It brings me joy when I just sit somewhere and I see the animals getting closer and closer. Sometimes they just sit there, and I thank them. It’s just satisfying, it gives me a feeling of happinness, that’s all. Animals are easier to understand; they’ll let you know if they want you there, or if they don’t want you there. There’s this love without hiding anything, this pure love. Whereas humans are complicated sometimes. I’m going to sound like a crazy person [laughs] !”
(Jardin Anglais | translated from French)