nationalbirdday

Today, January 5, is honored as National Bird Day each year. This tradition was started by Born Free USA in coordination with the Avian Welfare Coalition to teach people about the plight of birds in the wild facing extinction, as well as those in captivity facing many other human produced sorrows. Celebrating National Bird Day is also a good way to remember the birds perched outside your window, especially during these cold, snowy days. 

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To commemorate National Bird Day, I’d like to recommend a wonderful children’s book that tells the story of Lucky, a wild Lorikeet. Lucky is not so lucky, at first.  The rainbow colored bird is captured, showing the plight that befalls many caged and clipped wing birds.  This lucky guy eventually returns to the skies, however, through the help of a boy who cannot bear to watch Lucky live chained to a perch. The book, Lucky, by Monica Engebretson, is based upon a true story and encourages kindness to all animals, something we in the cat rescue business take very seriously. All proceeds from the sale of the book are used for avian welfare, rescue, and conservation.  I purchased a copy of Lucky for our local library. 

One thing I’ve always felt sorry for are birds in cages. To have the gift of flight and be unable to pierce the sky? It seems as heart breaking as chaining a dog to a post in the backyard. I guess what is the saddest part is the loss of freedom. None of us would want to be held in place, pretty prisoners. Most avian rescue groups encourage allowing pet birds to have safe places to fly. I remember visiting an older lady in our community once who had a pet parakeet. The bird sat upon the edge of her dinner plate while I dropped off her medicines, chirping and whistling at me, before flying to the woman’s shoulder. It was a marvel for me to see.

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There are old stories that claim that some birds are angels, sent to Earth to be spirit guides watching over and acting as messengers for humans. Because they feel more at home in the skies, the angels begin as birds and eventually progress to non-flying creatures. It is a lovely thought. But even if this is just a story, it is still our duty to be angels for the birds around us.

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