i knew it would come...
The other day I had a dream about a crow coming into my work.. and how it was okay at first, then got progressively worse and I was trying to save it...
. Well, it happened... to some extent.. A woman called and asked if she could bring this wild bird in and I called to the back to get dr. permission as we aren't technically licensed for wildlife.
And she walked in the door with a bowl and in the bowl was a fledgling crow.... looked just like my calliope when I got her (with the exception of her white parts)... the little one had maggots. I instantly felt a panic - I was not prepared. I've seen alot, and some things really bothered me but this one was the one that I couldn't just suck up. I took the lady's info and had her sign the bird over to us and ran the little one to the back. The doctor pulled him out and gave him a look over and I said "Please" "Can you help it? At all?" and she picked up his wings, where he had a laceration (most likely a cat-induced laceration) which wasn't very big, but it spilled out with maggots... and the doctor said "No, he has to be euthanized" and I took a deep breath and went out to tell the lady. My first words were "are there cats in the area where he was found?" she said she owned 2 indoor/outdoor cats but they "never hunted" and "would never do that". I sighed and said "he can't be saved" and my eyes welled. I said "is his mother looking for him?" The woman looked at the floor and said that the mother bird was very distressed. She had just lost her other baby last week when it fell from the tree. I told her that family units are extremely important to crows and that the parent birds will probably show a great deal of stress/suffering because of this. I thanked her for caring enough to bring him in and she left - and I went to the back and CRIED. I cried like hell because there was NOTHING I could do. Instinctively I wanted to take that little bird and run away with him and try to save him... I know that is stupid... but I was really bothered by this.
When trying to figure out why I am devastated by the loss of this baby, who looked so much like my own bird as a young one, my husband said that it's because they aren't just birds to me - they are symbols of freedom and all the things that people sometimes aren't. They are us, but the perfect version of us... these cunning and intelligent winged wonders are just so much more.
I wish there was more I could have done. Poor little one. I am so sorry.
And I guess this just shows that I am in the right place at the right time.
God forbid I ever lose my heart.
Kill me if I do.
. Well, it happened... to some extent.. A woman called and asked if she could bring this wild bird in and I called to the back to get dr. permission as we aren't technically licensed for wildlife.
And she walked in the door with a bowl and in the bowl was a fledgling crow.... looked just like my calliope when I got her (with the exception of her white parts)... the little one had maggots. I instantly felt a panic - I was not prepared. I've seen alot, and some things really bothered me but this one was the one that I couldn't just suck up. I took the lady's info and had her sign the bird over to us and ran the little one to the back. The doctor pulled him out and gave him a look over and I said "Please" "Can you help it? At all?" and she picked up his wings, where he had a laceration (most likely a cat-induced laceration) which wasn't very big, but it spilled out with maggots... and the doctor said "No, he has to be euthanized" and I took a deep breath and went out to tell the lady. My first words were "are there cats in the area where he was found?" she said she owned 2 indoor/outdoor cats but they "never hunted" and "would never do that". I sighed and said "he can't be saved" and my eyes welled. I said "is his mother looking for him?" The woman looked at the floor and said that the mother bird was very distressed. She had just lost her other baby last week when it fell from the tree. I told her that family units are extremely important to crows and that the parent birds will probably show a great deal of stress/suffering because of this. I thanked her for caring enough to bring him in and she left - and I went to the back and CRIED. I cried like hell because there was NOTHING I could do. Instinctively I wanted to take that little bird and run away with him and try to save him... I know that is stupid... but I was really bothered by this.
When trying to figure out why I am devastated by the loss of this baby, who looked so much like my own bird as a young one, my husband said that it's because they aren't just birds to me - they are symbols of freedom and all the things that people sometimes aren't. They are us, but the perfect version of us... these cunning and intelligent winged wonders are just so much more.
I wish there was more I could have done. Poor little one. I am so sorry.
And I guess this just shows that I am in the right place at the right time.
God forbid I ever lose my heart.
Kill me if I do.