Why do I care more?

[smallonion]

I really need to learn to care less about birds. My heart breaks every day and I wish it didn't! Two things today: first, in the newspaper today there was a story about a guy's 'hobby' of collecting bird eggs - the rarer the better. He'd climb trees and steal the eggs out of the nest. He is responsible for a few bird species becoming endangered. Lucily, he went to prison. It's one thing if a natural predator took the eggs - that's nature. But I can't stop thinking of mother bird coming back and her eggs are gone. I was crying on the train reading this. I think I need help!

Right now I'm doing some last minute housework while my hair is drying, before bed. There's a program on TV about the first mother in Britain to go to prison for her children being truant from school. She's a heroin addict, and a total mess. They were interviewing her in her home, her and her children and...they have a cockatiel. In a cage. Who am I heartbroken for? The cockatiel. I'm insane. This poor cockatiel stuck in a cage while all this chaos is around him. He didn't ask to be born into this. All he does is sing, whistle and chirp while this woman does drugs and yells at her teenage children.

Why do I care more about birds? How can I stop being heartbroken all the time?

Please excuse this post...I am PMS-ing I think.

Michele and Humphrey

[FairLight]

Michele, I think we all see the vulnerability of these gentle creatures.
They cannot fend for them selves. They are intelligent and articulate, and that makes our hearts hurt for them when they are in a bad situation.
As for the case of the herion addict mother, her children will be cared for
either by the family or foster care. They won't be abandoned. However, who knows if anyone will see to it that the bird has a good home? Especially a 'Too, as they are known for being tempermental. Hopefully, some one will step up and give him a good home.
It's good to care about life. Birds are a part of life. It is on your heart to love these small creatures, and that is a blessing.
Thank you, dear lady, for caring!

Disclaimer: I am not saying birds are more important then people!
I am saying it's a good thing to care! No flame zone, please!
(On this board, that shouldn't be a problem.... :o)

[Monica]

Maybe we care about birds so much because birds, especially parrots, have very similar personalities and are in that way quite like humans more so than dogs and cats.

If I had read that article or watched the show, I would have had the same reaction!

[HareTrinity]

Ability to emphasize is a good one to have, even if it feels worse, though...

I, personally, would hope that the kids would be more responsible and take the cockatiel with them. After all, as long as they didn't learn to be abusive towards it (which I doubt, because birds don't last very well under too much stress), then I wouldn't be surprised if they related to it a bit.

Presumeably the family wouldn't have put the money in for a parrot in the first place if they didn't at least like them a bit, after all...

The animal/animal piece-collecting "hobbies" are rather macabre in general, though. I'll admit, I've found empty (English) robin eggs before (pretty blue) on the ground and have kept them, along with some of my infertile finch eggs, but stealing fertile eggs from wild birds with intentions other than ones to help the species is far from nice...

[Vankarhi]

I think it is because we have allowed our fids to be a part of our families and we know how much they are loved. I too feel sorry for animals I see roaming the streets, I say to my kids, look at that poor unloved animal, aren't our dogs etc lucky to be in our family. I believe if you care deeply for any animal or person or living thing then that is a sign of a very nice person. A good hearted person and we truly do need more of them in this world.

[Majj]

I am so glad you posted this topic because I have felt that there must be something wrong with me Too ..I can`t go into pet shops anymore without crying for all the poor birds I see in cages , knowing that maybe more than half will be bought on a whim and then just live their life out stuck in a too small cage with nothing but seed to eat just maybe some will be lucky to get fresh food and water but I just think about the ones that are not given all they need including the love companionship and attention ..
You might just be PMS but I am menapausal it doesn`t get any better... :aiwebs_01 I cry at everyones loss when I read the memorial page and when I read of someone with a sick bird my heart aches , I am sure I am the saddest person alive at times ......so I must be crazy..but it seems like I am in good company...

[smallonion]

Thanks everyone! This is one of the reasons I love birdboard - because I find kindred spirits. What would I do without the internet? I don't know ANY bird people here in England. I am so often crying over some bird or another! The ones I read about on the internet who have been mistreated get me the worst. When my husband finds me crying, he will say, "a bird?" and let me tell him the story.

Thanks again everyone.

Michele and Humphrey

[Peregrine Harlequin]

You might only be a smallonion, but you have a big heart. And if more people cared about the (non-human) beings we share this world with, there would be less neglect and abuse. Being a guy, I don't know much about PMS-ing. But I'd say that being heartbroken shows that you actually give a damn, and is much preferrable to the alternative. So even though it hurts to learn of situations like those, try asking yourself if you'd feel better knowing that you should feel bad, but don't really care.

And, hey, at least you get sad instead of angry. Several years ago I espied a neighbor stomping on his dog. He never found out, but my mom was the only thing that stood between him and a 3-day/2-night vacation to the local hospital. And I never watch those animal rescue shows on tv because they make me thing bad thoughts about people..... Now, I'm not a violent or ill-tempered person. But seeing people (who should know better) do things like that to animals (who never deserve it) tends to make my blood boil.

But feeling bad is good. It reminds us that we're "human." We just need to work to change negative emotions into results that benefit our (bird/dog/tree/whatever) friends.

[mamalovesrico]

I do volunteer work for two different rescue organizations here in Ohio. Yes, it can be heartbreaking. But sometimes what you don't hear are the good outcomes and the great people who step up to the plate and want to rescue these poor animals. When someone wants to adopt one of the animals we have on our internet site we do a very thorough questionaire. We end up turning down a lot of people. Some of them get very angry with us when we turn them down. Too bad, we're looking out for what's best for the animal.
My husband gets angry with me when I watch animal cops. He doesn't understand why I watch it and cry all the time. It keeps me moving on the volunteering and maybe I can't save all the animals but I sure can save some. And when you end up saving one that's had a very hard past, it sure does make it all worth while.

[smallonion]

The worst incident was when I was looking at a site that featured formerly neglected birds who were plucked bald, and it just so happened that the song "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera was on. If you don't know, the lyrics go, "We are beautiful, no matter what they say, words can't bring us down..We are beautiful, in every single way.." I was bawling.

It is definitely 100 percent my 'calling' to work with needy birds in some way. I will do it. I'm visiting a parrot rescue run by a wonderful woman this month, and I can't wait. It's my first step in learning about parrot rescue.

Thanks again to all who wrote to me.

Michele and Humph (who is angry with me because I gave him a spray bath, which he hates, but he had been so itchy)