by Richard "Bugman" Fagerlund
Daily Lobo Columnist
I often write about issues of animal cruelty and will continue to do so in future columns. However, I want to share some true stories with you that demonstrate why animals are indeed sentient beings and should not be misused or abused for any reason.
A bird watcher was walking through the woods in New Jersey when he came across what appeared to be a sick white-throated sparrow sitting on a log. As he approached the sparrow, he could see it was very weak. He sat down and was watching it when a hermit thrush landed on the log next to the sparrow. The thrush put some leaves in front of the sparrow, but the little bird didn't eat. Finally the thrush regurgitated some seeds it had eaten. The little sparrow started eating the seeds off the log and then started eating right out of the thrush's mouth. A short while later, the sparrow was rejuvenated and flew away. Thrushes and sparrows are not at all related to each other except that they are both birds. It is wonderful that a bird of one species would go out of its way to help a bird of another species.
An article in National Geographic provided another insight into reality. After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the fire's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the sight he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings.
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The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother remained steadfast. Because she had been willing to die, those under the cover of her wings would live.
Finally, I want to share a letter from a reader of my column who lives in Belen: "I have a comment about cockfighting. I won't even get into the issues of culture, tradition and all that malarkey. The truth is the poor roosters that are raised to fight are wonderful, intelligent creatures. We rescued one several years ago. He was 'thrown away' or escaped in an alley near our house. We found him struggling to get into a trashcan for food. When we picked him up, and brought him home we saw that he had his wing ripped off, one of his eyes was missing, as were a few of his toes, his combs were cut off and he had the walk of one who wears blades. A good 'ole boy told us he was probably fed gunpowder too, because once in a while he would 'go nuts.' But, good 'ole Brooster was a survivor. With a little TLC he became the 'king' of the backyard. He fell in love with a little white cat and would follow her everywhere, and actually lay down and sleep beside her. The dogs respected him. He would come when you called him because he knew that his own personal produce section was going to have fresh veggies dumped into it. He begged at the outside table with the dogs and hung around the barbeque grill when someone was cooking. He was the sweetest most loving and beautiful rooster I've ever known. His retirement lasted for 4 years before we lost him to a bacterial infection. I still miss him, and am still disgusted at the cruelty that poor thing endured at the hands of the demons that fight roosters."
All of these true stories say the same thing, love is not a human emotion, love is a spiritual blessing shared by all living things and the only true emotion in existence.
Cardinal Newman was correct when he said: "Now what is it that moves our very heart and sickens us so much as cruelty shown to poor brutes? I suppose this: first, that they have done us no harm; next, that they have no power whatever to resistance; it is the cowardice and tyranny of which they are the victims which make their sufferings so especially touching. There is something so very dreadful, so satanic in tormenting those who have never harmed us, and who cannot defend themselves, who are utterly in our power.
