Small acts of kindness

Feeling a bit hungry he walked across the road looking for a better place to eat. A loud noise, a blur of red, and then indescribable pain!  He lay flat on the roadway, unable to move, barely conscious – when he felt himself being lifted up and placed into a large container.

Jacana - slowly recovering

This was not how the young Jacana bird, Jorge, had planned to start his day; first a collision with a taxi, and then a human taking him prisoner. 

His mother had warned him about the dangers of living near humans, but sometimes you just had to take the risk to find food. Collapsing in pain inside the bucket, Jorge wondered what his fate might be.

He heard a man and a woman discussing him, saying he probably wouldn't live more than a few minutes due to his head injury. “No! I will survive.” Jorge decided. Waiting, waiting: as the hours passed Jorge slowly regained a bit of strength. The woman checked frequently to see if he was still alive. Eventually he was able to lift his head off the bottom of the bucket, and then finding a hidden reserve of energy he tucked his long-toed feet under his body and sat upright. Oh, but the pain in his head. It was fierce!

The human popped her head into the room again, pulling back the edge of the towel covering the top of the bucket, talking to him as if he understood her words. “Well, I posted on FaceBook asking if anyone knows how to help you. My friend Dan Kane offered to contact, Delfino Guevera, a local veterinarian. So we'll see what Delfino says.” she said, gently replacing the towel, leaving him alone in the dark, fretting over what would happen next.

Clinica Veterinaria de Isla Mujeres - Delfino's new clinic

A short time later the Jacana could hear another human voice, asking was he still alive? “Yes, he's here.” the woman said, “I have a bird in a bucket in my bathroom.” Jorge didn't understand why that was funny but both the woman and the man she called Delfino chuckled.  Next the veterinarian deftly moved him from the bucket into a cage that smelled alarmingly like cats! “Oh no! Was he going to be fed to cats? What a horrible end to a really bad day that would be.”

Delfino told the woman that he would take the bird, the juvenile Jacana, to his clinic.  If he survived Delfino said he would probably take him into the bird sanctuary in Cancun the following day. The trip to the clinic on a motorcycle was short and scary. Once inside the bright new building Jorge was thoroughly examined by the veterinarian and placed back in the cage. As he huddled in fear the smell of cats, and dogs, and strange chemicals swirled around him. He was accustomed to the smell of the ocean, the marshes, other birds, and nearby humans. He was not accustomed to having so many predators, his enemies, in the same area. It was terrifying!

Rosa & Codie

Very soon another male voice could be heard. “Is this the poor guy that had a run-in with the taxi?” the man asked. 

Instead of taking the bird on another stressful trip to the sanctuary in Cancun, Delfino had called an island friend who had a lot of experience helping wild birds recuperate. “I'll take him home.” Gunther Hepner said, gently picking up the bird. "We'll get him fixed up.”

Another fast ride on a motorcycle, then they entered yet another building and Jorge could smell birds – other birds! “This is Codie and Rosa.” Gunther said as he introduced his pets to Jorge, “Kids, say hello to your new roommate.”

Jorge the Jacana back in the wild

“Well, this is encouraging,” Jorge thought. He was beginning to feel better already. “If this human has pet birds, then he probably won't feed me to a cat!” Jorge was put in a dark, quiet place for the night, and given water to drink. 

The next morning the man gave him a tasty breakfast of fresh flies. By now Jorge was able to stand on Gunther's hand, balancing precariously for a few minutes.   “You'll be fine,” he said, “I'm going to put you back into a marshy area where you can find food and water, and similar friends. But, first, we need to have a chat about your bad behaviour. You must stay away from roads. Next time you may not be so lucky!”

Paradise!

Jorge agreed wholeheartedly. He was very lucky indeed to have so many humans helping him get better. And he was very lucky he could still enjoy life in paradise.

So the next time you see a beautifully coloured Jacana bird, it just might be Jorge. Please say hello from us.  Tell him Dan Kane, Delfino Guevera, Gunther Hepner plus Lawrie and I are very happy he survived his nearly-fatal encounter with a taxi.

Hasta Luego

Lynda & Lawrie

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