Today, I went to do a bit of shopping. I bought myself a few items of clothing, then met up with my mother for a meal in a restaurant. A nice day.
As we arrived back at the car, I noticed a man taking pictures on his mobile phone - I just got in the car and thought nothing much of it. It was as we were driving away that I noticed he was taking pictures of a tiny fluffy seagull chick that had fallen from it's nest and was now limping around the car park. I saw other people watching and no one was doing anything, other than taking the obligatory cell phone photo...
I was sitting watching this when a car drove straight over the top of the chick and just barely missed it with it's tyres. Still, no one did anything. I decided that if no one was going to help this bird, then I was. I walked over and stopped people from driving near it - even if it meant blocking people from getting to a parking space. I tried to stand a small distance from it in the hope it's mother was nearby and would return for it, but she was nowhere to be seen. The poor thing kept chirping away and seemed to be scared and if I left it there it was eventually going to get killed. I contacted a wildlife sanctuary and they said it would be much better to pick it up and take it to them.
I went and got a blanket that we carry in the boot of the car and I gently wrapped the little guy up. It was then that I was waylaid by a large tattooed fella who 'politely' told me to leave it on the ground because it's mother would come for it. I asked him how he knew this and his reply was "Well, it stands to reason". I said that I had contacted a wildlife centre and they had advised me to do this, but he just blathered on that I was being cruel and blah, blah, blah. I ignored him and eventually he took the hint and buggered off.
Anyway, I held the wee fella all the way to the wildlife sanctuary and he seemed to warm up to me. He seemed happy enough by the time I got him there and the man at the sanctuary implied that he would bring him back to health and rear him to adulthood and then free him in the vicinity of where he was found. I'm happy with that outcome.
The thing that pisses me off is that everyone is happy to stand around doing nothing and just leaving this poor thing to it's fate. They'll complain that it will cost them time and money. They'll complain it will probably honeysuckle on them (They would be correct). They will then try and rationalise their decision:
"Well, I probably couldn't have done anything anyway"
"It will probably be OK"
"Someone else will help it"
Well, I'm not going to stand around and do nothing when I see something (or someone) that needs my help.
So, on the downside, I've been pooped on, had to spend money on a gallon of petrol and missed something I was looking forward to at 5pm. On the upside, I feel kind of warm inside and know that I made some real difference in the world - even if it was just for a single solitary seagull.
Why am I posting this? I don't rightly know, but I felt like it, so I did
