Ahhh, it’s the weekend and after the morning feeding and sorting out of all the sanctuary residents, it was time to take a break and head out for lunch at the local veg café. It feels right to align our lives with respect for all our fellow animals, but today more than usual this interrupted our plans a little.
We headed off down the road, and a few minutes in to the trip, we both spotted a tiny yellow thornbill sitting on the busy road. What to do? Hazard lights on and Reem sprints back up the road and flags down the next speeding car before picking up the injured bird. Shortly after, a large convoy of motorbikes screamed past. This was looking like a very lucky bird, maybe! We found a spot to pull off the road so we could check her out.
She appeared to be in one piece and we were immediately hopeful there was no serious injury. We put her on the ground in front of us and unfortunately she was looking quite disoriented and a little bent out of shape. So I put my finger in front of her and she climbed on it.
I stood in the brilliant sunshine and she just perched there and checked me out for about five minutes, looking pretty relaxed and alert. I showed her a tree branch but she did not seem to want that. Then in the blink of eye, she darted off with speed and intent, into the woods. We both felt relief and elation that this had ended so perfectly.
This little morning event was just another reminder to us that all animals have their lives to live, and this deserves our respect and consideration. We find that when we follow these principles, the rewards to our spirit and self-respect are massive. The feeling of knowing this bird would certainly be dead now if not for our action, and instead is now doing what birds do, is what life is about. The moments we had, looking at the bird with a sense she knew we genuinely cared about her wellbeing, will stay with us. The vegan falafel wrap for lunch tasted even better than usual.
As is the case, these days, my partner in crime, was able to capture some of the memories using the smart phone camera. Hope you enjoy these.
oh how cute, I am so glad you stopped. I always insist on stopping.