After a few months of volunteering at the Vancouver Aquarium I am becoming fairly confident giving directions to the nearest restroom, the cafe, the water fountain. I can navigate the dimmed hallways to the shark exhibit and point children in the direction of Clownfish Cove. I am loving the adventure.
I find I am developing a personal relationship with some of the animals on display. I swear Jimmy the one-eyed rockfish swims over just to say hello when I stop by the PAC Can exhibit. When I first heard the story about Jimmy I could hardly believe it — the juvenile one-eyed rock fish being bullied by his peers — the carefully crafted artificial eye — the delicate surgery to insert it. You can’t make this stuff up! He even made international news — Jimmy Fallon mentioned him in one of his monologues. “Only in Canada…” he said. (Which is how Jimmy got his name). This has become one of my favorite stories to share with visitors of the exhibit.
I recently learned that the one-eyed rockfish I am pointing out to new adoring fans is in fact not the real Jimmy. Jimmy died. Bummer, I thought – but the story is just too compelling to let go the way of Jimmy the first. As far as I’m concerned, one one-eyed rockfish looks remarkably like another, so I continue to share his story.
The wolf eel and I have a ‘thing’ as well. I like checking in with him as I make my way to the first of my Gallery Greeting posts. His large grey face just seems to call out for love – so I always stop and give him some. I like pointing him out to unsuspecting guests. “Ewww,” they say. (Which is exactly what I thought the first time I met him). “No,” I explain. “This is a really great guy.” I tell them how wolf eels mate for life. How the dad helps rear the kids. How this is my kind of guy and how much I love him. Often they give him a second, sometimes loving, glance and that puckered grey face makes another new friend.
I know it’s not nice to choose a favorites among friends but being the honest sort that I am, I feel I must confess. Chester (the false killer whale) and Helen (the Pacific white sided dolphin) have stolen my heart – the whole beating thing. I could stand at the glass for hours and watch these two – they make me smile just thinking about them. They are engaging and smart. They are playful and kind. They represent everything good about the mandate of the aquarium. Neither of them would be alive today without the intervention of the Marine Mammal Rescue centre. They are ambassadors of their kind and they are loved – so loved.
I am making people friends at the aquarium too. Terrific people friends. People devoted to things that I care about. The oceans, the rivers, the minute ecosystems on the planet and the creatures, large and small, whose futures depend on our caring. These people are the ambassadors of the ambassadors on display – they are giving voice to a desperate plea by smiling, engaging, and educating the public on the wonders in our care. I am slowly building my confidence to be a voice that can do the same. I may not have a science degree or a formal education but I can spin a good yarn and I can care with confidence about the future for my new found friends.