Thank you, Clara Beard, for alerting us of the possible closure by OC Parks of the Emerald Sanctuary run by Kris Spitaleri. What is OC Parks, or some other entity, thinking – if at all?
The Emerald Sanctuary has been where our local wildlife rangers and OC community bring injured or orphaned animals. Spitaleri rehabilitates and releases most animals and continues to care for the abandoned that can’t be released or cared for in our animal shelters. Other shelters call him for advice on the care of animals they find. His sanctuary has been the second line of defense for abandoned and injured creatures that can’t be handled in our overcrowded shelters. Speaking of defense, it was in 2022 that this paper reported how Spitaleri individually kept hosing down his property during the Emerald Bay Fire, protecting his and neighboring properties—losing his eyelashes and eyebrows in the process. Humans are a difficult species for others to live among, but some individual members of our tribe make up for our deficits. Let’s hope that our county supervisors, like Katrina Foley, can intervene to right the wrong of this attempt to close down the Emerald Sanctuary.
Our county needs more good deeds and good deed doers.
C. Deborah Laughton, Publisher Methodology and Statistics and spouse of councilmember George Weiss
