Animal Rescue 101
January 28th 2010 04:53
I'd like to open todays post with a poem that has inspired me for a good many years...
And before I begin, I'd like you all to remember the great Steve Irwin. He was an inspiration to me, a comfort, that other minds such as mine existed in the world, and with the same fervent passion. Not just thinking and saying, that things must be done, but DOING them. One moment of his highly televised memorials and tributes struck me, literally, through the skin. You may remember this scene.
Steve and friend are driving through the outback. The truck stops with a screaming halt as Steve yells- "Look at that poor bugger!" And without further ado, launches himself from the car, and, stunningly, chases down and tackles a wild feral goat. He says he's going to trim its poor hooves, and shows them to the camera, horrifically deformed by overgrowth. And then he utters, to me, the most important words of his entire existance.
"Just because they're feral pests doesnt mean I dont love em!"
That has become my creed. I want it on a T shirt. For years our animal rescue has revolved around that one line. That the ferals didnt ask to be here. They are stuck in the thick of it, with us, and if they are injured, or sick, they are at that moment just another animal suffering. Needing help. We were once fully fleged (excuse pun) members of WIRES wildlife services. But when they found out we use our supplies on ferals, we stopped being stocked. So now all rescue ops are out of our own pocket, by our own hearts.
I have before endeavored to tell ALL the critters we've rescued over the years, all sucess and failure. However, the list is too long. I get lost in it. Suffice to say, theres been rabbits, owls, multiple sparrows, doves, dogs, ducks, cats.....What I am going to do now is go over all the animals that live here with us now, and how they got here, in honour of our newest arrival.
NUMBER ONE: XIARA
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES:Cat
CURRENT HABITAT: My Bed
CURRENT DIET: Varieties of cat biscuits, human grade sandwhich tuna and gravy cat food.
HISTORY: Near to my 18th birthday, I was desperate for a cat. My best mate had another mate, who had had a feral cat dump kittens in her garage. Her family was planning on drowning them (Oh dont look so shocked, dont you know you have to PAY, up to $50 per animal, to surrender to any animal holding centre?) and my dear best mate, knowing my yen for a cat, selected the only female as my birthday present. Xiara is now in her 9th year, approaching a sedate old age.
NUMBER TWO: TESHAN
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES: Horse
CURRENT HABITAT: Shared paddocks
CURRENT DIET: much prime lucerene hay and very little grain
HISTORY: I was too enamored with my own horses of the time to notice Teshan much. It was my Dad who fell in love with her. Off the truck on sales day, the pale grey beauty disdained all on sight with her flighty eyes and swishy movements. Dad set out to have her, and was denied over the course of a week. Unexpectedly, the owners called us to see if the offer was still good. It was, and Dad made arrangements for purchase. However, the horse we took was not the one we had seen originally. The pale beauty was striped with bloody marks, shrunken, skeletal, and terrified. She had been subjected to a form of torture - starved and beaten but not into submission. Teshan still bears the scars, most noticeable under a thin summer coat, the worst of which is a mark on her cheek that looks like it was made by a ring. Her temper has cooled, although she is still aloof she can be loving and quiet, even well behaved when the mood suits her. I admired her spirit and beauty to such an extent I have made her the matriach of my breeding line, literally, its mother. To this end, she has had three sons. She now approaches her elderly years, fully retired, and spoiled to an extent that young filly could never have imagined.
NUMBER THREE: YNATRA
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES: Cat
CURRENT HABITAT: Mums bed, or the linen cupboard now renamed 'kitty apartment block'
CURRENT DIET: Whiskas, unless she sneaks out to my bowls
HISTORY: When Xiara was only a few years old, I began thinking of a playmate for her. I remember clearly, sitting by my stereo in the middle of the night playing songs, when the thought hit me like a train - 'you are getting a cat, and its name is Ynatra'. I had to write that doozy down, I didnt think Id ever remember it. Not so long after a feral cat in next doors garage dumped some kittens. The litter was graced with one female. Before the rest were disposed of, we claimed her. Sadly, her and Xiara never hit it off - they fight to this day - and thus, Ynatra became mums cat.
NUMBER FOUR: TALLI
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES: Duck
CURRENT HABITAT: Back deck, including laundry acess
CURRENT DIET: Mixed seeds, bugs, and those yummy boxes of crickets from Petbarn
HISTORY: Back in the day when we didnt live with the horses, we were driving home to see a mumma duck and babies frantically seeking shelter. We scooped them up and Talli is the only living member of that original family. Talli is a star on this blog with her live it up attitude, and to read more about Talli and her adventures I invite you to search 'Talli' on my home page with the 'search posts' button to find her numerous exploits. Talli is happily in her middle years, a little too fat, and thinking of starting a family....I hope.
NUMBER FIVE: WIST
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES: Duck
CURRENT HABITAT: Under a chair on the back deck....
CURRENT DIET: All the bugs Talli misses
HISTORY: Wist came to me as an egg. Worse yet, an egg I didnt want. A friend brough them over thinking Talli might sit on them. Knowing what had to be done but not having the energy for it, I set up a box and heat lamp. The stress is excruciating. Are they too hot? Too cold? It got to the stage I barely cared, gave up any hope of a hatching. It was then that Wist made his appearence, and lived in a cardboard box at the foot of the bed for a few months. He is now in his striking young years, answers the call of my voice, follows me everywhere, and is sometimes called, 'The mighty mighty Wistaduck' but at the moment, he is being called 'Wistananny' because he is right there to comfort and reassure when theres a new arrival in the house.
NUMBER SIX: YANATRA'S LITTER
STATUS: Born in luxury
SPECIES: Cat
CURRENT HABITAT: cat trees, apartment blocks, and underfoot
CURRENT DIET: Any bowl with food in it
HISTORY: When my brother had to move home some years ago, he brought with him his two cats. Unbeknownst to us, one was not desexed, and Ynatra was still waiting for her appointment. Within weeks, Y was pregnant. She dutifully delivered a litter of five. Two were sent into a no kill adoption program - at our expense, and three were homed within the family.
TYGER: Lives with her mum Y in mums end of the house. Sometimes called Tyger Bear for her shape
SAMPSON: Officially Kmans cat. Adored by all who glimpse him for his striking, snow tiger looks and true yellow eyes.
ROWDY: Sometimes called Dowy and also goes by Rowdabowdow. The weakest of the litter, he has lived through multiple surgeries to fix an umbilical hernia and adolescent attacks of severe gastro. A cat slut who is willing to share affections with anyone - especially cat haters.
NUMBER SEVEN: THE INTERLOPERS
STATUS: One a rescue, one a purchase
SPECIES: Cat
CURRENT HABITAT: Whatever is left!
CURRENT DIET: Under my brother's administration
HISTORY: The first of the interlopers is Christopher. Originally rescued from Animal Welfare, Chris has led a variety of lives, most likely more than nine. He's been a country town cat, a city dwellin street cat, a high rise apartment cat. He looks and moves like a black panther, observing all through cool, unflappable green eyes. He is now in his 18th year, but he actually doesnt seem to have noticed.
Interloper two is a pure bred persian named Matthew, but more often, for the state of his fur, Matt. Mattie is in middle years, and the father of the abovementioned litter.
NUMBER EIGHT: THE NEW KIDS
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES: Cat
CURRENT HABITAT: Mostly out of sight
CURRENT DIET: All food, anywhere, anytime, including anything innocently defrosting in the sink
HISTORY: Regular readers of my blog will know Zenith, Axis, Azhure, Niah and Whimaway very well, having followed the rescue and development each day. For those that dont know, I found Dear Zen starving to death in my feed shed, the only weight on her a belly full of kittens. I fed her, made her a spot to sleep, and made the mistake of saying, "If you need anything, feel free to come up to the house." Within half an hour she had arrived and was ever after a permanent fixture. Zen is a teenage cat, full of joy and angst, the most grateful rescue I have ever saved. Her two daughters, still living with us, are demure domestic cats. Niah grows into a seldom seen beauty, where Whimaway is like her mum, a cat colour collage....And like Rowdy, an utter attention slut. She has been known to claw if not patted immediately.
NUMBER NINE: INDIGENOUS PIGEONOS
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES: Common pigeon
CURRENT HABITAT: Large tall cage. A box in the laundry is given for cold winter nights
CURRENT DIET: A personalized seed mix
HISTORY: I found little pige when I worked in stables in the city. Struggling through eight straw boxes first thing in the morning, the last thing I wanted to see was a needing help rescue. However, I captured, (not hard, he had hardly no feathers) restrained in a cardboard box, and on my break instead of relaxing I ran over to the shop to buy farax. He gulped down a quick meal, and I checked on him throughout the day. He braved Redfern station, travelled home on the train, and has grown into a large, fat bird with glowing feathers. He is remarkably tame, loves to cuddle and play, and at this time is impatiently waiting for me to get up early on a saturday, go to the markets on saturday, and bring him home a wife!
NUMBER NINE: NAJARA
STATUS: Rescued by force
SPECIES: Indian mynah bird, the most hated animal in Australia, also called 'Rat with wings'
CURRENT HABITAT: Our spare room
CURRENT DIET: Anything thats going. Favours garlic (whole cloves) cheese (especially rubicon red) hot cross buns and fresh white bread. Also garbage and carrion.
HISTORY: Jara Bink was delivered to me by the same friend who bore Wist's egg to me, presented wrapped in toilet paper like a straight jacket. She said she'd had a hard time catching her. Lucky it wasnt me - I'd likely have let her go. But my passion for the Mynah is a deep one, and I was delighted. At her young age, Jara emitted a faint garbage like odour, and resembled a dead lump of feathers. She enjoyed the usual baby mix of farax, honey and arrowroot biscuit, soon advanced to my secret super food - a mush made of mitavite breeda pellets. She especially liked choc chip cookies in it. Jara is now 3 years old, resplendant in young adult beauty, without doubt, my greatest bird friend.
NUMBER TEN: THE PREY
STATUS: One rescue, one purchase
SPECIES: One budgie, one sparrow
CURRENT HABITAT: secure cages
CURRENT DIET: personalized seed mixes
HISTORY: BB the budgie (named for the daughter of the Bride in Kill Bill) was a purchase meant as a gift. My dear lovebird Bobby had lost a friend, and despaired. I went out to the pet shop, wondering how I would choose my budgie. I could afford nothing else. I wasnt fussy, I just needed something that spoke bird and could sit with Bobby all day. When I saw a pale white beauty huddled in a corner, silently pleading, 'get me outta here!' I obliged. BB was so ecstatically happy to have her own food and water bowls, not to mention toys, her antics kept us laughing for days. Sadly, Bobby died, and her friend BB has never quite got back her playful spirit since then.
Xena the Warrior Sparrow was rescued roughly two to three years ago, meaning she is now advanced in age. She is female by her markings, yet they are a strange as I have ever seen on a sparrow. Tiger like stripes in red orange brown, over a downy, silver grey under belly. Very striking. Xena has a magnificent spirit, was captured as a struggling fledgeling and since then has taken to the good life. They live in mums rooms....Thick in cat territory.
NUMBER ELEVEN: THE DESTRUCTO BROTHERS
STATUS: Purchased
SPECIES: Horse
CURRENT HABITAT: Unhappily shared paddocks
CURRENT DIET: Much hay, very little grain
HISTORY: Shakir, (destructo One) was Teshans first foal. He was spoiled completely, and developed a personality which displays every single undesirable trait of BOTH his parents. He is flighty, spooky, unreasonable and even at times, vicious. He is now seven years old. I despair of ever breaking him in.
Spirit, (destructo Two) was given to mum after her purebred colt died. Apoor replacement, he is a blood weed who also displays all the worst personality - and physical - traits of his parents. Now eight years old, Spirit is green broke, and despite his well known 'quiet temperament' was still capable of throwing mum off and landing us in our current situation.
They have been named 'The Destructo Brothers' for their ability to turn any yard - no matter how spacious or well grassed - into a dust bowl in the space of a week. They like to run.
NUMBER TWELVE: THE MAGNETIC STORM
STATUS: Born to luxury
SPECIES: Horse
CURRENT HABITAT: Shared paddocks
CURRENT DIET: much hay, much grain, and treats on the side
HISTORY: Magnus was born directly after Shakir. They are full brothers bearing the burnished red coat of their father, but there the similarities end. Where Shakir is destructive, Magnus is playful. Where Shakir is difficult, Magnus is amiable. Where Shakir is nasty, Magnus is loving. With his adoring personality and obvious sense of his own self worth Magnus has destroyed the show ring in his junior and middle years. People are terrified of his luminous coat, his deep brown eyes and this uncanny ability he seems to have to mesmerize a judge. No matter how he behaves, they cant wait to throw the ribbons at him and gain his love. And Magnus oh-so-does want to win. He is now growing into even greater beauty in his 6th year, and soon to tackle the senior show circuit.
NUMBER THIRTEEN: CRESCENT MOON ZAYFIR
STATUS: Purchased
SPECIES: Horse
CURRENT HABITAT: The majority of the property
CURRENT DIET: Hay, grain, and strawberry jam sandwiches
HISTORY: Once again, regular readers will know this one. After six years of hard work I managed to combine the bloodlines of horses I loved most. Teshan, SK Shakla Kahn and the legendary Silver Family, through Fairview Touch of Magic. Zayfir has only just turned 4 and is eagerly awaiting the day I bring him a girlfriend!
( I am fully prepared, at this point, for the unpleasant fact that I may have forgotten someone)
Now to introduce my new arrival.
NUMBER FOURTEEN: DORIAN GRAY
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES: Unknown
CURRENT HABITAT: Cardboard box
CURRENT DIET: farax, arrowroot biscuit, breeder mush and honey
HISTORY: Little bugger hasnt lived long enough to have one! Saturday morning, a friend called to tell me some birds had fallen from a nest. One had died, but the other seemed ok, and she wanted to know what to do. I explained, dark warm box, farax, 20 minute feedings.......To which she replied with the twins, the goats and the ducks, it might be a bit much. I agreed to take it in. My first question had been "Does it have feathers?" As I knew, no matter how much effort is put in to one so young, they inevitably always die. She had answered yes....
On her arrival we inspected the bird child. It did not, actually, have feathers. It had some cuticles, from which feathers would soon spring, but no actual feathers. It had the liberal yellow skin on either side of the mouth. I saw it huddled in the corner of the box and my heart went out to it. I did not expect it to survive the night, perhaps not even the hour. I made a mush and....
It screamed! Screamed and chirruped and opened its beak wide. We have repeated thus, over and over at 20 min intervals, giving hot water bottles when its cold, removing them when its hot. Baby is demanding, adorable, loveable. It shows more spunk than any Ive ever rescued. I gave it the name out of love of the character, and the sense of being utterly unkillable. Sunday, feathers began to appear.
It looks like a Mynah bird.
Vioce of the Vioceless
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox
So many gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind,
While just the art of being kind
Is all the sad world needs.
I am the voice of the voiceless:
Through me, the dumb shall speak;
Till the deaf world’s ear be made to hear
The cry of the wordless weak.
From street, from cage and from kennel,
From jungle, and stall, the wail
Of my tortured kin proclaims the sin
Of the mighty against the frail
For love is the true religion,
And love is the law sublime;
And all is wrought, where love is not
Will die at the touch of time.
Oh shame on the mothers of mortals
Who have not stopped to teach
Of the sorrow that lies in dear, dumb eyes,
The sorrow that has no speech.
The same Power formed the sparrow
That fashioned man-the King;
The God of the whole gave a living soul
To furred and to feathered thing.
And I am my brother’s keeper,
And I will fight his fight;
And speak the word for beast and bird
Till the world shall set things right.
So many paths that wind and wind,
While just the art of being kind
Is all the sad world needs.
I am the voice of the voiceless:
Through me, the dumb shall speak;
Till the deaf world’s ear be made to hear
The cry of the wordless weak.
From street, from cage and from kennel,
From jungle, and stall, the wail
Of my tortured kin proclaims the sin
Of the mighty against the frail
For love is the true religion,
And love is the law sublime;
And all is wrought, where love is not
Will die at the touch of time.
Oh shame on the mothers of mortals
Who have not stopped to teach
Of the sorrow that lies in dear, dumb eyes,
The sorrow that has no speech.
The same Power formed the sparrow
That fashioned man-the King;
The God of the whole gave a living soul
To furred and to feathered thing.
And I am my brother’s keeper,
And I will fight his fight;
And speak the word for beast and bird
Till the world shall set things right.
And before I begin, I'd like you all to remember the great Steve Irwin. He was an inspiration to me, a comfort, that other minds such as mine existed in the world, and with the same fervent passion. Not just thinking and saying, that things must be done, but DOING them. One moment of his highly televised memorials and tributes struck me, literally, through the skin. You may remember this scene.
Steve and friend are driving through the outback. The truck stops with a screaming halt as Steve yells- "Look at that poor bugger!" And without further ado, launches himself from the car, and, stunningly, chases down and tackles a wild feral goat. He says he's going to trim its poor hooves, and shows them to the camera, horrifically deformed by overgrowth. And then he utters, to me, the most important words of his entire existance.
"Just because they're feral pests doesnt mean I dont love em!"
That has become my creed. I want it on a T shirt. For years our animal rescue has revolved around that one line. That the ferals didnt ask to be here. They are stuck in the thick of it, with us, and if they are injured, or sick, they are at that moment just another animal suffering. Needing help. We were once fully fleged (excuse pun) members of WIRES wildlife services. But when they found out we use our supplies on ferals, we stopped being stocked. So now all rescue ops are out of our own pocket, by our own hearts.
I have before endeavored to tell ALL the critters we've rescued over the years, all sucess and failure. However, the list is too long. I get lost in it. Suffice to say, theres been rabbits, owls, multiple sparrows, doves, dogs, ducks, cats.....What I am going to do now is go over all the animals that live here with us now, and how they got here, in honour of our newest arrival.
NUMBER ONE: XIARA
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES:Cat
CURRENT HABITAT: My Bed
CURRENT DIET: Varieties of cat biscuits, human grade sandwhich tuna and gravy cat food.
HISTORY: Near to my 18th birthday, I was desperate for a cat. My best mate had another mate, who had had a feral cat dump kittens in her garage. Her family was planning on drowning them (Oh dont look so shocked, dont you know you have to PAY, up to $50 per animal, to surrender to any animal holding centre?) and my dear best mate, knowing my yen for a cat, selected the only female as my birthday present. Xiara is now in her 9th year, approaching a sedate old age.
NUMBER TWO: TESHAN
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES: Horse
CURRENT HABITAT: Shared paddocks
CURRENT DIET: much prime lucerene hay and very little grain
HISTORY: I was too enamored with my own horses of the time to notice Teshan much. It was my Dad who fell in love with her. Off the truck on sales day, the pale grey beauty disdained all on sight with her flighty eyes and swishy movements. Dad set out to have her, and was denied over the course of a week. Unexpectedly, the owners called us to see if the offer was still good. It was, and Dad made arrangements for purchase. However, the horse we took was not the one we had seen originally. The pale beauty was striped with bloody marks, shrunken, skeletal, and terrified. She had been subjected to a form of torture - starved and beaten but not into submission. Teshan still bears the scars, most noticeable under a thin summer coat, the worst of which is a mark on her cheek that looks like it was made by a ring. Her temper has cooled, although she is still aloof she can be loving and quiet, even well behaved when the mood suits her. I admired her spirit and beauty to such an extent I have made her the matriach of my breeding line, literally, its mother. To this end, she has had three sons. She now approaches her elderly years, fully retired, and spoiled to an extent that young filly could never have imagined.
NUMBER THREE: YNATRA
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES: Cat
CURRENT HABITAT: Mums bed, or the linen cupboard now renamed 'kitty apartment block'
CURRENT DIET: Whiskas, unless she sneaks out to my bowls
HISTORY: When Xiara was only a few years old, I began thinking of a playmate for her. I remember clearly, sitting by my stereo in the middle of the night playing songs, when the thought hit me like a train - 'you are getting a cat, and its name is Ynatra'. I had to write that doozy down, I didnt think Id ever remember it. Not so long after a feral cat in next doors garage dumped some kittens. The litter was graced with one female. Before the rest were disposed of, we claimed her. Sadly, her and Xiara never hit it off - they fight to this day - and thus, Ynatra became mums cat.
NUMBER FOUR: TALLI
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES: Duck
CURRENT HABITAT: Back deck, including laundry acess
CURRENT DIET: Mixed seeds, bugs, and those yummy boxes of crickets from Petbarn
HISTORY: Back in the day when we didnt live with the horses, we were driving home to see a mumma duck and babies frantically seeking shelter. We scooped them up and Talli is the only living member of that original family. Talli is a star on this blog with her live it up attitude, and to read more about Talli and her adventures I invite you to search 'Talli' on my home page with the 'search posts' button to find her numerous exploits. Talli is happily in her middle years, a little too fat, and thinking of starting a family....I hope.
NUMBER FIVE: WIST
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES: Duck
CURRENT HABITAT: Under a chair on the back deck....
CURRENT DIET: All the bugs Talli misses
HISTORY: Wist came to me as an egg. Worse yet, an egg I didnt want. A friend brough them over thinking Talli might sit on them. Knowing what had to be done but not having the energy for it, I set up a box and heat lamp. The stress is excruciating. Are they too hot? Too cold? It got to the stage I barely cared, gave up any hope of a hatching. It was then that Wist made his appearence, and lived in a cardboard box at the foot of the bed for a few months. He is now in his striking young years, answers the call of my voice, follows me everywhere, and is sometimes called, 'The mighty mighty Wistaduck' but at the moment, he is being called 'Wistananny' because he is right there to comfort and reassure when theres a new arrival in the house.
NUMBER SIX: YANATRA'S LITTER
STATUS: Born in luxury
SPECIES: Cat
CURRENT HABITAT: cat trees, apartment blocks, and underfoot
CURRENT DIET: Any bowl with food in it
HISTORY: When my brother had to move home some years ago, he brought with him his two cats. Unbeknownst to us, one was not desexed, and Ynatra was still waiting for her appointment. Within weeks, Y was pregnant. She dutifully delivered a litter of five. Two were sent into a no kill adoption program - at our expense, and three were homed within the family.
TYGER: Lives with her mum Y in mums end of the house. Sometimes called Tyger Bear for her shape
SAMPSON: Officially Kmans cat. Adored by all who glimpse him for his striking, snow tiger looks and true yellow eyes.
ROWDY: Sometimes called Dowy and also goes by Rowdabowdow. The weakest of the litter, he has lived through multiple surgeries to fix an umbilical hernia and adolescent attacks of severe gastro. A cat slut who is willing to share affections with anyone - especially cat haters.
NUMBER SEVEN: THE INTERLOPERS
STATUS: One a rescue, one a purchase
SPECIES: Cat
CURRENT HABITAT: Whatever is left!
CURRENT DIET: Under my brother's administration
HISTORY: The first of the interlopers is Christopher. Originally rescued from Animal Welfare, Chris has led a variety of lives, most likely more than nine. He's been a country town cat, a city dwellin street cat, a high rise apartment cat. He looks and moves like a black panther, observing all through cool, unflappable green eyes. He is now in his 18th year, but he actually doesnt seem to have noticed.
Interloper two is a pure bred persian named Matthew, but more often, for the state of his fur, Matt. Mattie is in middle years, and the father of the abovementioned litter.
NUMBER EIGHT: THE NEW KIDS
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES: Cat
CURRENT HABITAT: Mostly out of sight
CURRENT DIET: All food, anywhere, anytime, including anything innocently defrosting in the sink
HISTORY: Regular readers of my blog will know Zenith, Axis, Azhure, Niah and Whimaway very well, having followed the rescue and development each day. For those that dont know, I found Dear Zen starving to death in my feed shed, the only weight on her a belly full of kittens. I fed her, made her a spot to sleep, and made the mistake of saying, "If you need anything, feel free to come up to the house." Within half an hour she had arrived and was ever after a permanent fixture. Zen is a teenage cat, full of joy and angst, the most grateful rescue I have ever saved. Her two daughters, still living with us, are demure domestic cats. Niah grows into a seldom seen beauty, where Whimaway is like her mum, a cat colour collage....And like Rowdy, an utter attention slut. She has been known to claw if not patted immediately.
NUMBER NINE: INDIGENOUS PIGEONOS
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES: Common pigeon
CURRENT HABITAT: Large tall cage. A box in the laundry is given for cold winter nights
CURRENT DIET: A personalized seed mix
HISTORY: I found little pige when I worked in stables in the city. Struggling through eight straw boxes first thing in the morning, the last thing I wanted to see was a needing help rescue. However, I captured, (not hard, he had hardly no feathers) restrained in a cardboard box, and on my break instead of relaxing I ran over to the shop to buy farax. He gulped down a quick meal, and I checked on him throughout the day. He braved Redfern station, travelled home on the train, and has grown into a large, fat bird with glowing feathers. He is remarkably tame, loves to cuddle and play, and at this time is impatiently waiting for me to get up early on a saturday, go to the markets on saturday, and bring him home a wife!
NUMBER NINE: NAJARA
STATUS: Rescued by force
SPECIES: Indian mynah bird, the most hated animal in Australia, also called 'Rat with wings'
CURRENT HABITAT: Our spare room
CURRENT DIET: Anything thats going. Favours garlic (whole cloves) cheese (especially rubicon red) hot cross buns and fresh white bread. Also garbage and carrion.
HISTORY: Jara Bink was delivered to me by the same friend who bore Wist's egg to me, presented wrapped in toilet paper like a straight jacket. She said she'd had a hard time catching her. Lucky it wasnt me - I'd likely have let her go. But my passion for the Mynah is a deep one, and I was delighted. At her young age, Jara emitted a faint garbage like odour, and resembled a dead lump of feathers. She enjoyed the usual baby mix of farax, honey and arrowroot biscuit, soon advanced to my secret super food - a mush made of mitavite breeda pellets. She especially liked choc chip cookies in it. Jara is now 3 years old, resplendant in young adult beauty, without doubt, my greatest bird friend.
NUMBER TEN: THE PREY
STATUS: One rescue, one purchase
SPECIES: One budgie, one sparrow
CURRENT HABITAT: secure cages
CURRENT DIET: personalized seed mixes
HISTORY: BB the budgie (named for the daughter of the Bride in Kill Bill) was a purchase meant as a gift. My dear lovebird Bobby had lost a friend, and despaired. I went out to the pet shop, wondering how I would choose my budgie. I could afford nothing else. I wasnt fussy, I just needed something that spoke bird and could sit with Bobby all day. When I saw a pale white beauty huddled in a corner, silently pleading, 'get me outta here!' I obliged. BB was so ecstatically happy to have her own food and water bowls, not to mention toys, her antics kept us laughing for days. Sadly, Bobby died, and her friend BB has never quite got back her playful spirit since then.
Xena the Warrior Sparrow was rescued roughly two to three years ago, meaning she is now advanced in age. She is female by her markings, yet they are a strange as I have ever seen on a sparrow. Tiger like stripes in red orange brown, over a downy, silver grey under belly. Very striking. Xena has a magnificent spirit, was captured as a struggling fledgeling and since then has taken to the good life. They live in mums rooms....Thick in cat territory.
NUMBER ELEVEN: THE DESTRUCTO BROTHERS
STATUS: Purchased
SPECIES: Horse
CURRENT HABITAT: Unhappily shared paddocks
CURRENT DIET: Much hay, very little grain
HISTORY: Shakir, (destructo One) was Teshans first foal. He was spoiled completely, and developed a personality which displays every single undesirable trait of BOTH his parents. He is flighty, spooky, unreasonable and even at times, vicious. He is now seven years old. I despair of ever breaking him in.
Spirit, (destructo Two) was given to mum after her purebred colt died. Apoor replacement, he is a blood weed who also displays all the worst personality - and physical - traits of his parents. Now eight years old, Spirit is green broke, and despite his well known 'quiet temperament' was still capable of throwing mum off and landing us in our current situation.
They have been named 'The Destructo Brothers' for their ability to turn any yard - no matter how spacious or well grassed - into a dust bowl in the space of a week. They like to run.
NUMBER TWELVE: THE MAGNETIC STORM
STATUS: Born to luxury
SPECIES: Horse
CURRENT HABITAT: Shared paddocks
CURRENT DIET: much hay, much grain, and treats on the side
HISTORY: Magnus was born directly after Shakir. They are full brothers bearing the burnished red coat of their father, but there the similarities end. Where Shakir is destructive, Magnus is playful. Where Shakir is difficult, Magnus is amiable. Where Shakir is nasty, Magnus is loving. With his adoring personality and obvious sense of his own self worth Magnus has destroyed the show ring in his junior and middle years. People are terrified of his luminous coat, his deep brown eyes and this uncanny ability he seems to have to mesmerize a judge. No matter how he behaves, they cant wait to throw the ribbons at him and gain his love. And Magnus oh-so-does want to win. He is now growing into even greater beauty in his 6th year, and soon to tackle the senior show circuit.
NUMBER THIRTEEN: CRESCENT MOON ZAYFIR
STATUS: Purchased
SPECIES: Horse
CURRENT HABITAT: The majority of the property
CURRENT DIET: Hay, grain, and strawberry jam sandwiches
HISTORY: Once again, regular readers will know this one. After six years of hard work I managed to combine the bloodlines of horses I loved most. Teshan, SK Shakla Kahn and the legendary Silver Family, through Fairview Touch of Magic. Zayfir has only just turned 4 and is eagerly awaiting the day I bring him a girlfriend!
( I am fully prepared, at this point, for the unpleasant fact that I may have forgotten someone)
Now to introduce my new arrival.
NUMBER FOURTEEN: DORIAN GRAY
STATUS: Rescued
SPECIES: Unknown
CURRENT HABITAT: Cardboard box
CURRENT DIET: farax, arrowroot biscuit, breeder mush and honey
HISTORY: Little bugger hasnt lived long enough to have one! Saturday morning, a friend called to tell me some birds had fallen from a nest. One had died, but the other seemed ok, and she wanted to know what to do. I explained, dark warm box, farax, 20 minute feedings.......To which she replied with the twins, the goats and the ducks, it might be a bit much. I agreed to take it in. My first question had been "Does it have feathers?" As I knew, no matter how much effort is put in to one so young, they inevitably always die. She had answered yes....
On her arrival we inspected the bird child. It did not, actually, have feathers. It had some cuticles, from which feathers would soon spring, but no actual feathers. It had the liberal yellow skin on either side of the mouth. I saw it huddled in the corner of the box and my heart went out to it. I did not expect it to survive the night, perhaps not even the hour. I made a mush and....
It screamed! Screamed and chirruped and opened its beak wide. We have repeated thus, over and over at 20 min intervals, giving hot water bottles when its cold, removing them when its hot. Baby is demanding, adorable, loveable. It shows more spunk than any Ive ever rescued. I gave it the name out of love of the character, and the sense of being utterly unkillable. Sunday, feathers began to appear.
It looks like a Mynah bird.
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