wednesday was a typical day at internship. lots of clients, projects, phone calls, and our second hosting of a company-wide webinar. oh, and a fun dinner party to host chez moi that evening!
this all changed while crossing the tracks en route to the station for lunch. my fellow intern and i passed a pigeon that didn’t fly away as we got closer. i knelt down and saw the pigeon wasn’t doing well. we got concerned and i held him gently while petting his sweet feathery round body. my colleague chased down nearby track workers asking them to help noting, “my colleague is very upset.” two confused men rode up on their carts to offer assistance after being waved down. then i got nervous about them helping as i didn’t know what they could do, so i said we’d transport him to a safer location than the train tracks. his neck appeared to be broken, he couldn’t fly, but he could walk and would often come upright from time to time. we lovingly placed him in another area and went to the station somewhat traumatized. my colleague noted, “now he has more dignity.” that stuck with me. what a social worky thing to say!
when we returned, he’d moved a few feet and was upright. seemed to be doing a bit better. however, i couldn’t shake it. headed back to my desk and googled, “what do pigeons eat” and “how to care for a pigeon with a broken neck.” the websites recommended calling a vet for help. i found the nearby vet, called them and was referred to the humane society. called the humane society and was referred to animal control. call animal control and they dispatched an officer. i took a deep breath.
headed out to check on him again and he’d moved a bit further, but still looked sad. back inside i went to get a box and asked if i could bring him inside until the officer arrived. i was offered a box, but they weren’t keen on a pigeon in the office. c’est la vie. took the box out, got him situated, and added a brick inside so it wouldn’t blow away (supervisor’s genius idea). ahhhh, then became concerned that the many station police may get nervous about an empty box on the side of their building. ran back inside, got a sharpie, and penned the scribbles on the box you see above.
as i was heading back into the building to assist with webinar set up in a few minutes, i passed an officer and squealed, “are you with animal control?” apparently he’d been looking for the pigeon, hadn’t been given my cell number from the dispatcher, and couldn’t have been sweeter. he’s in the second photo toting the injured pigeon to safety after gently wrapping him in a tiny blanket. he said it looked like the pigeon may have a virus causing neck issues and he’d take it back to give it fluids and assess. ah, success! dc animal control is 202.576.6664 and now highlighted in my contacts.
sure, in the grand scheme of things, this act is minor. however, i like to think it made a big difference to this one feathery friend. what small choices do you make each day that can enhance or detract from the quality of your life or someone whose life you share? yep, even a little pigeon. we truly are interconnected. bisous. x
