Feathers in Distress

Jules saved a poor bird in distress this morning. While we were in the middle of a conversation, he suddenly stood up. Something caught his attention. He said a bird was trapped and hurriedly went outside. I saw him helping a bird that caught it's leg in the barbwire. Jules brought home the poor bird and we saw that one of his feet had a rope tied to it. It was a young Kingfisher. It was a good thing Jules was looking outside the window so he spotted it right away. A few minutes more and a cat might have snatched it. In fact, Jules saw the neighbor's cat lurking from behind.

It was apparent that someone had caught the young bird and tied it up. Maybe good luck was on its side so it got away. I just don't understand why some people can be so cruel to animals. There was a time when I saw some young boys aiming their slingshot at a bird. I reprimanded them on the spot and told them not to hurt the innocent bird. They left without a word. I'm not sure if they heeded my words. I hope they didn't transfer to another location to continue their act of cruelty.

I remember when I was young, I already had a soft heart for animals. My younger brother also felt deeply for animals that's why I couldn't understand how some children can be so mean.

Jules carefully put the bird down and gently removed the rope that was tied to his foot. It was not easy removing the rope because it was knotted several times. Poor Kingfisher. He seemed exhausted and in shock. After removing the rope, Jules noticed that the young bird was very weak. He decided to make a temporary cage (with a curious Yohan watching him intently) so it could rest for a while. We couldn't leave it where it was because a cat might eat it. We gave it some water and left it in peace to regain its strength.

In the late afternoon, it seemed ready to leave. Jules held it in his hands and let it go. It flew and landed on one of the house posts. It flew away after a few seconds. We only hope it did not have any permanent injury. We wish that little Kingfisher will have another chance to live a long and healthy life.