We put Birdy back in the nest yesterday with a slight glimmer of hope that perhaps Bella could do something to revive him. Bella did come back and spent some time at the nest.
But after that, Bella and Felix no longer came back. I waited, but they did not come back anymore. Not in the evening or at night.
In a way, it was “good” if they could move on quickly. Do not grieve anymore, if they did. We have to move on. It’s humans who grieve, it’s humans who live in the past and in the future, and that is why we suffer so much. Animals tend to live in the NOW. They are wired this way.
We must not anthropomorphise. This is the advice my senior vet gave me long, long ago when he knew I was anthropomorphising so much (yes, I was). It was also a comment left by a total stranger when I first started AnimalCare and wrote about Wii, Vixey’s brother, who got bullied by Cow & Bunny so badly that he had to run away from home (Wii was finally rehomed to my friend). I remember the advice and it has taken me this long to realise its wisdom.
We must not anthropomorphise – we must not assume that animals feel like we do. If we do, it could lead us to inadvertently do more harm to them or lead us to suffer unnecessarily.
Yes, animals do feel, there’s no doubt about that. And yes, they are highly intelligent too. They are empaths and they read our minds. They can detect kindness in people and they have gratitude – I have no doubt about that. And yet, they are not exactly like us (Well, thank goodness for that, right? Humans are about the worst species on planet earth.).
This morning, Bella came back for awhile. I think it’s her final check.
Birdy’s remains were cold.
So we buried him in his nest, at the park.
Take these wings─ and learn to fly─ to the highest mountain in the sky;
Take these eyes─ and learn to see─all the things so dear to me.
Take this song─ and learn to sing,─fill your voice with all the joys of spring;
Take this heart─ and set it free,
Let it fly─﹝Let it fly, let it fly﹞ beyond the sea.