Post by etana on Jan 29, 2018 13:26:42 GMT
Just wanted to share this. I was out taking a walk with my boyfriend the other day, when we got to a large beach. To my surprise I spotted a swan standing very close to people. The sea had frozen.
Getting closer, indeed the swan was trying to approach people going by. He/she was wobbly and a bit dirty (swans should spend their time awake eating and cleaning up their feathers, so dirtiness was a sign that something was wrong), and kept his/her head down, not hostile at all, just sad and weak, getting close enough to touch. And what were people doing? Staring at the poor creature that was so obviously trying to ask for help, and taking swan-selfies!
I'd left my phone home, and so had my bf, but we decided we'd try and get someone's phone and call for help. One girl heard us asking people for a phone and offered us hers - good for her.
I dialed the only number I could think of, the general emergency number. Looking back on it I could have googled for the number of the local animal hospital, but then again the poor swan was approaching small children as well, and it was all potentially hazardous because we don't know if there was bird flu involved. They promised to send someone to catch the bird and see what was the matter, and that I could go home. I told this to all the people watching, and the swan startled visibly when everyone turned their backs to walk away. I wish I could just have told the bird that help was coming.
15 minutes later we walked back to the beach, and people were taking selfies with the swan again. Sigh.
Hours later, I went back by myself. No swan, lots of fresh work boot prints in the sand. I hope there was a happy ending and nobody bullied the poor bird.
Getting closer, indeed the swan was trying to approach people going by. He/she was wobbly and a bit dirty (swans should spend their time awake eating and cleaning up their feathers, so dirtiness was a sign that something was wrong), and kept his/her head down, not hostile at all, just sad and weak, getting close enough to touch. And what were people doing? Staring at the poor creature that was so obviously trying to ask for help, and taking swan-selfies!
I'd left my phone home, and so had my bf, but we decided we'd try and get someone's phone and call for help. One girl heard us asking people for a phone and offered us hers - good for her.
I dialed the only number I could think of, the general emergency number. Looking back on it I could have googled for the number of the local animal hospital, but then again the poor swan was approaching small children as well, and it was all potentially hazardous because we don't know if there was bird flu involved. They promised to send someone to catch the bird and see what was the matter, and that I could go home. I told this to all the people watching, and the swan startled visibly when everyone turned their backs to walk away. I wish I could just have told the bird that help was coming.
15 minutes later we walked back to the beach, and people were taking selfies with the swan again. Sigh.
Hours later, I went back by myself. No swan, lots of fresh work boot prints in the sand. I hope there was a happy ending and nobody bullied the poor bird.
