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Posts Tagged ‘coexistence’

I usually don’t get up early in the morning. However, I was thinking of Tigger, the ginger cat at Whampoa. He had not stepped out of his recently made shelter for the past three nights, and I thought he might be in trouble.

The little shelter is covered with cloth, and I can only see his tiny paws. The place he sleeps is right in front of someone’s corridor. The owner of the flat hardly opens the door at the hour when I am feeding the cats. Last night, the door was opened, and Tigger was hardly moving in his shelter. I was worried he could be unwell or chained. I woke up immediately, took a quick shower, and cycled over to check on him.

There he is! Safe and sound!

I’ll make sure I flip the cloth every night to check on him.

Before I cycled to Whampoa, I saw a fledgling lying helplessly on the cover of the drain. I picked her up and placed her somewhere safe, promising to help her once I was done with Tigger.

When I returned, the fledgling had moved away from its original location. I saw a white cloth, a cup of water, and a half-empty water bottle lying there. I believe they came from the funeral wake nearby. It’s good to know that people care.

I tucked the fledgling in the cat carrier and contacted ACRES. I’m glad that ACRES was willing to take over.

I believe she is weak, which is why the way she rested looked a little awkward.

Securing her in a box.

I dropped her off at ACRES at noon. I hope all goes well for her!

A busy morning for a good cause!

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It is not only the pigeons have broken feet, the mynahs as well. I believe many birds in the wild suffer the same fate.

The photo below shows how human hair coiled around the pigeon’s foot and it was already broken but still hanging on by the hair.

I couldn’t catch her and I didn’t see her again.

The mynah has lost her feet.

These birds are gentle and harmless. There is really no need to cause harm to them. Since there are ways to handle them humanely, always make a wise and compassionate choice. Killing is never necessary.

It is already not easy for humans to thrive, let alone animals. If we can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them! Always choose to be kind. Let’s learn to coexist with one another.

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It was just last week that I removed the string that had been tied tightly around her feet. I could recognise her by her distinct fluffy feathers. She was the only pigeon that looked “round” and “fat” to me. She was easy to catch, and I should have known better that only sick pigeons are easy to catch. She was still eating well then, and I had been seeing her on and off. As she was fluffy, she walked wobbly. This made her look so adorable. I would always say hi to her. I saw her resting at the corner of the void deck last night, and I guess she probably wasn’t feeling well.

She appeared in front of the lift I often take about an hour ago. She looked very unwell. I went home, quickly took a carton box, placed her inside and brought her home. I hoped she could pass on in a quiet place. She passed on shortly. I’ll bury her tonight.

She started pecking after I removed the string and released her.

A cute girl!

I know pigeons are hard to save, but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying. Harming, killing, or hating them won’t solve the problem. As we know, only love can overcome hatred.

I can and will only do my part to love and care for them. Pigeons are gentle and harmless birds. What others choose to do is their business.

Thank you Ms Fluffy!

May the merits accumulated be dedicated to her favourite rebirth.

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I was feeding at Sembawang one afternoon when I saw the skeleton of a dead bird lying on the grass. I believe it was a fledgling that had been unable to find food or keep itself warm. It was a lifeless, untouched, complete skeleton.

When I looked at the bird, I asked myself why would the world want the birds to die so badly. The majority supports killing but to wish death on others is unnecessary since we will all die one day. Regardless of any species, wouldn’t it be better to rejoice when others have food to eat and water to drink? Why can’t everyone live with that joy until death comes to us? Then there will be no resentment or hatred, only kindness and compassion, perhaps a little smile when we face death.

There are hundreds of thousands of birds out there. How many times and for how long, must we be angry with them and wish them dead? Why is it so difficult to cultivate inner joy for others?

Obviously, it was a fledging. A fledging who had lost its mother and its source of care.

One day, a Buddhist questioned me on Facebook, asking if I had accepted the First of the Four Noble Truths. I didn’t reply until a local monk ‘visited’ my page and commented, ‘Did the Buddha promote veganism?’ He said it only to spite me.

Because I hadn’t replied to the first person earlier, I responded to the monk by saying that accepting the First of the Four Noble Truths doesn’t mean I should just sit and do nothing. Promoting veganism and raising public awareness that animals suffer so much because of us, benefits not only ourselves, but also the animals, the environment, and the climate. Since the monk was only there to spite me, he said nothing further and moved on to the next post. He tried to find fault with me and put words into my mouth. Whatever he did, he will ultimately have to face the consequences himself.

Understanding and accepting suffering does not mean that our compassion ends there. Nor does it mean that we have to lament or cry over it. We can keep calm, accept it and influence or inspire others to extend their loving~kindness and compassion towards all sentient beings in all directions.

This image is also a reminder that we are the same.

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A few nights ago, while I was driving upslope at the multi-storey carpark, I spotted a pigeon sitting at the side of the slope. Immediately after parking my car, I walked towards the pigeon wondering what could have happened to her. I tried to shoo her away from the dangerous path, just in case a vehicle may crush her.

As I shooed her away, I noticed she had difficulty walking properly and from that instant I knew it could be due to some sort of string that was tying around both her feet. She flew on top of my car. I knew she would continue to fly if I approached her. So I tried to explain my intention to her from a distance. She was all so cute. She tilted her head to the left and right while listening to me. After I explained, I grabbed her and she wasn’t struggling at all until I tried to remove the hair and a rubber band from both her feet. She struggled a little and I guess it must be painful!

It took me quite a while to cut away the hair and the rubber band as I didn’t want to cut her accidentally.

Hair and rubber band already removed from the pigeon.
Hair and rubber band

Her feet looked good and not badly damaged. She was able to stand but stumbled quite a bit. Whatever that is hurting her feet requires time to heal. She didn’t fly away but kept looking at me. I wish her to be safe always and this will never happen to her again and that she will receive help all the time.

Pigeons are such gentle and harmless birds. All we want is food and water. Even though many think that we are not allowed to give water but I insist giving them water every day. Singapore’s weather is so hot and humid. The sun is so strong that I could feel my skin burning all the time. Intentionally not allowing or kicking away the water given to them is not only a selfish act but also an immoral conduct. It’s inhumane. It’s not what a human being should do to another sentient being who needs water as much as we do.

Be kind to all animals. We are all the same!

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