Saturday, January 31, 2009

CHOICES


I’ve never taken care of a bird before. Atleast not the way I’m doing now. As a child I remember taking care of an injured sparrow. I had kept her in the room upstairs as somebody had hurt her with a catapult and she couldn’t fly. She dint survive too long. Bad experience. Had howled for a full day and buried her in an empty site next door.
After years I find another one. This time bigger in size, nevertheless hurt in the same way, by a creature called the human being. It’s a female koel , a fact I dint know when I saved her. I found a bird hanging mid air, hoisted by her wing which had got entangled with a thread. The thread came from a kite that had in turn got entangled to the tree. U see, Jan 15 th was a kite flying festival. People helped me pull her down and disentangle her from the thread that viciously encircled her neck and her wing. Her wing was damaged. She was on the ground. If I left her that way I was dead sure that I just saved her from the thread, not from death. There was no real point. Crows hovered around her, the dogs became all excited. I had no choice. I took her in. Its been a week now.
People look at me as if I’m crazy, some are amused, they give me that all knowing smile, some say, ur so kind. I don’t feel kind. I just cant leave that bird alone. I cant leave her out to die. She cant fly. She’s neither happy in my room. But I have to keep her, in the hope that someday (hopefully in the near future, as near as possible)she will recover from her injury and fly again.
I have gone bonkers in trying to find food that she could eat. But the worst part is, that one week up and I don’t even know what she likes, im just placing an assortment of food and water hoping she fills her stomach. I guess she has, coz of the energy with which she’s hopping up and down.
Birds are a different ballgame. Dogs and other animals atleast respond to u when u give them food. This one acts like as if im planning to butcher her or something. There is no pay off. No reciprocation of attachment, love and the likes.
The only reason im taking care of her is that as a human, I have the power to contribute to ‘LIFE’- something that has been lovingly created by God, and a part of nature. If I have the power to add on to this amazing creation of God, I might as well use it, rather than boiling and eating her which anyways will be excreted out the next morning.
The bottom line is we, as humans, have the power to add on to or destroy life. Its just the choice that we make.

P.s : any advice or suggestions on how to take care of an injured female koel, is really welcome. Kindly refrain from suggesting to put her down or let her out before she can fly on her own. I AM NOT even thinking of that option. If she has to die, she will. But I will try my best to prolong her life till I can.

I have made my choice. I’m PRO – LIFE. not ANTI LIFE.


Please choose wisely.

3 comments:

  1. Great JOB!!! u keep goin gal...
    the path of life that u have chosen is really extraordinary and it does require extraordinary courage to do so.The day the bird flies, which i know it will... will be the day u will feel the real happiness of life and givin back somethin to it.
    Keep it goin...

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  2. hey your really doing a commendable job....great going...dont worry ur lil' birdie will be as fit as a fiddle with all the motherly love and care ur giving it......all the best....keep me updated.

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  3. Hail to Jacky....

    try feeding her some seeds ... dont ask me what seeds.. but i guess birds generally like seeds .... daana, wagera wagers :)

    but trust me .. out of my experience i am speaking, birds do give u amazin feeling when they actually fly away from ur hands... thats where they belong and i presume they'l be thankful to ur contribution .... afterall as u say... they r the creatures of God

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