Wildlife at the Library

[alanajoli]

I came down the stairs from the reference department into nonfiction today, and was stopped by a patron about half way.

"You have some wildlife," she said.

My first thought was that she was in the craft area, not in science, and then I noticed it. On the floor near her feet was a tiny little mouse.

I don't remember if I wrote here about my first mouse capture. A year or two ago, I had a mouse in my office, and not having the appropriate equipment to catch it, I let it skitter around most of the day. I heard a thump at one point, looked over my shoulder, and realized that the mouse had climbed my box fan and had tumbled into the half-empty, open box of office paper next to it. The result was an adorably trapped mouse, which I promptly took down the stairs from my apartment and released in the yard.

So thinking of that same trick, I went back to the staff office in the library, got a box top and returned to the nonfiction section, where the patron was still watching the poor thing.

"He's going to jump right out of that," she said.

I shrugged, because she was probably right. "It's the best I could come up with," I answered.

I lowered it to the little mouse, whose head was bigger than the rest of his body, and he panicked. Whiskers quivering and lungs jumping, he dashed down the aisle. I followed after, calmly, slowly, and watched as the mouse ran into the corner--dead end. The patron walked with me, and I held the box lid steady, talking in a very calm voice, until I could scoop him onto the cardboard. He was so terrified he still didn't move, but I walked very carefully, holding the box top as still as I could, as I transported him back through the staff offices and outside. We let him go in some of the bushes in our yard, and I hope very much that he'll find a new home. If he was an outdoor mouse that accidentally found his way into the library, I think his chances are probably pretty good. If he was born in the library, though... well, I tried my best.

I really, really think I need a pet.

Comments

[elven-wolf.livejournal.com]

Reminds me of one time a few years ago when I was living in Puerto Rico, we got a spell of really wet and windy weather (more so than usual), and this small finch decided that the best place to be was right on one of our living room windows. These windows are those of the type pictured here, and the little bird just sat on one of the panes, huddled against the wind. We didn't have the heart to close the window on him, though we were just as afraid that he'd jump inside instead of outside if we tried.

We ended up holding vigil over the darn thing, because we knew if he jumped into the house he'd get lost in all the clutter in that room and we'd find a little tiny bird corpse weeks later.

[ex-kaz-maho.livejournal.com]

Aw... I would totally do that too. I rescued a mouse from on of my cats a few weeks back. I tried to nurse the poor thing back to health, but it was a gonna. I think it died of shock more than anything else. I was really sad...

Man, I need to toughen up. ;)

[kemlo.livejournal.com]

I hope you made him return his books first!
;-)