By Cassidy O’Neil, Staff Writer
For sophomore Seve Gomez, protecting wildlife has always been second nature. Since a young age, Gomez felt a connection to animals and an urge to help. This urge would turn into action as Gomez began to help small wounded animals he found in his backyard. After these experiences, Gomez’s interest turned into a lifelong passion.
“When I was little, I would take tadpoles and lizards who were injured and nurse them back to health in a small aquarium,” Gomez said.
With an obvious interest in wildlife, and multiple minor rescues in the past, Gomez was called into action by his neighbors earlier this year for his first real rescue.
After arriving at his neighbor’s house, Gomez found a young fox frantically trapped in a crawl space.
“When I saw the fox I knew it was not injured, but I could tell it was definitely weak and dealing with some sort of sickness,” Gomez said.
First, he began with apprehending the fox, followed by nourishing the animal with food and water. This along with the guidance of family and friends helped Gomez’s first rescue to be successful. Shortly after regaining its proper health, the fox was released back into the wild in the early months of 2018.
Gomez’s first rescue gave him a taste of his lifelong dream to become a veterinary physician.
“I have a passion for helping both animals and people. Whenever I find someone that is upset I always try my hardest to help,” Gomez said.
After a successful first rescue, Gomez began to take notice of the wildlife around him, eagerly anticipating his next chance to make a difference. That next opportunity came in the form of a opossum.
“I noticed that it was limping, so I found a box and placed it inside. Once I got it home, I found that its leg had been completely destroyed,” Gomez said.
Gomez transported the wounded opossum to a family friend, a local veterinarian who helped by rigging a splint for the animal’s leg. After remaining in Gomez’s care for over a month, the opossum was sent to be cleared for a final checkup and released back into the wild shortly after.
While others might feel helpless after finding an injured animal, Gomez believes it’s important to assist in any way possible.
“Even something simple like helping out at the local wildlife reserves or conservation agencies would help out in the effort to protect wildlife and their habitats,” Gomez said.
Gomez’s family has played an important part in the process, supporting his passion for wildlife since the beginning.
“Seve is kind and caring. I’ve seen him go way beyond the norm to protect and preserve nature and wildlife,” said Leigh Gomez, Seve’s mother.
With two successful recoveries under his belt, it seemed that Gomez was prepared for whatever nature threw at him. But that’s when he stumbled upon his next patient by a local pond, which was definitely his most “exotic” to date.
“I was biking to my friend’s house and I saw a blue heron. But it was struggling and fell into the water. When I tried to get closer, I realized that he couldn’t fly,” Gomez said.
After eventually capturing the wounded bird, Gomez and his family safely transported the animal to a family friend on Hatteras Island who dealt specifically with bird rescue. The blue heron is currently still in the process of rehabilitation, but thanks to Gomez’s actions, the bird is on its way to a smooth recovery and should be taking to the skies once again.
“I feel like more people on the beach need to be aware of our local wildlife, and responsible for the protection of our animals. Every animal has a purpose. They help keep the earth alive,” Gomez said.
Senior Cassidy O’Neil can be reached at o’neilca1210@daretolearn.org.
