April 11 is “Inter” National Pet Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the pets and animals in our lives and communities.
While Pet Day is the perfect moment to show some extra love to the pets in our lives – Cloudera wants to take this opportunity to also recognize a Cloudera volunteer who goes above and beyond to care for the welfare and health of animals outside of his family – Dániel Omaisz-Takács
Most of us think of dogs and cats when we think of animals who need extra love on International Pet Day, but what about parrots, goldfish, snakes and… hedgehogs? Just like the animals in our home, our wild friends sometimes need help too.
Learn about our #Clouderalife Volunteer Spotlight Dániel Omaisz-Takács a Budapest-based Visualization Specialist, volunteers with Hedgehog Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping wild eastern hedgehogs in their native Hungary.
In Hungary, the wild eastern hedgehog is a protected animal so Hedgehog Foundation’s primary role is to intervene when necessary to assist with health, rehabilitation and eventual repatriation. The organization also provides training for people and groups interested in learning how they can be a part of this effort.
When asked, how did you choose this organization, Dani responded,
“The Hedgehog is my favorite animal, but they are protected wildlife here in Hungary. To work with them, I looked for a nonprofit organization and found Sünbarát – a small fully volunteer org – that provides proper care to them.”
As a volunteer Dani learned a tremendous amount about hedgehogs – how they live, their medical needs, even how to identify illnesses. But what has been most surprising to him was not how much new information he learned about animals, but what he has learned about humans. Daniel shared,
“I learned how much trouble humans can cause for animals… our carelessness and neglect is the main reason why these animals (along with a lot others) get in trouble, get injured, killed, maimed or sick. This is why I am a regular volunteer and why I plan to continue in the future”.
A lot of these problems could be avoided, Dani reflected, if humans could be a little more considerate about things e.g. looking and shaking a bundle of autumn cut wood in the spring before setting it on fire.
“Also, nothing beats baby hedgies in cuteness for me… Sadly we have to take care of a lot of orphans each year.”
You can volunteer or donate to a wildlife rehabilitation center near you! Here are just a few more of our favorites – Humane Society Listing of US Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers, British Hedgehog Preservation Society, African Wildlife Foundation
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