I often find irony bemusing. After we dropped off Rue-Murre (discussed below) at Wildcare in San Rafael, our car was second in line waiting for a traffic light to change. The vehicle in front of us had a bumper sticker:
BUY AMERICAN
While You Still Can
The illustration next to the statement was an American flag fraying and a Japanese flag emerging from the shredded red and white stripes.
The vehicle was a Toyota pickup. Irony===>Bemusement.
Earlier, we came across Rue-Murre while taking an early morning walk at Muir Beach. He was sitting motionless, and Karla snapped a few photographs before we realized that we were so close, he must be in distress. Karla approached, and Rue-Murre let her touch him. Not good.
When Karla went to take a step toward me to hand me the camera, Rue-Murre flapped his wings, stood and rubbed against her as if to say, “Please don’t leave.” When she finally reached under Rue-Murre to pick him up, his body was frigid. There was no question he was close to full hypothermia.
We wrapped him in a shirt and headed back to the car. At the trailhead there was a large group of people in a circle. Several of them had Greater San Francisco Bay Area Team in Training shirts. I thought that there was some chance someone might be a ranger or birder ready to lead a hike, and walked over to the group.
I approached and stood behind the man speaking who had on attire that was closer to a “ranger” look than anyone else. When he stopped talking and acknowledged me, I excused myself and asked if anyone was a ranger or a birder. No ranger. One birder.
I explained that we had found a distressed bird on the beach and and a couple of people who offered the name Wildcare. However, a woman in an orange fleece with a clipboard said “sometime it’s just better to let Nature takes its course.” When I walked away, less than 45 seconds after approaching the group Ms. Clipboard also felt it necessary to apologize to the man for the interruption.
Now, there is no way of telling if this was a Team in Training meet up or if some friends who are also involved in TnT wore there t-shirts to an independent meet up. I can be confident that this was SOME sort of support group because after I closed the car door for Karla, the gentleman that was speaking stopped and Ms. Clipboard walked over and gave him a hug while the group quietly clapped.
I have seen zebras in the wild abandon an injured member of the herd that was bleeding to avoid attracting predators to the herd. I’m not saying zebras or murres are more valuable that humans. However, I am saying that any living being is worth effort. That’s why there are support groups. That is why there is Wildcare.
“Let Nature take its course.” Irony====>Definitely NOT bemusement.
There is no happy ending. When we checked on Rue-Murre this afternoon, despite Karla’s nurturing, and using her body and sweater to warm his body, Rue-Murre was too emaciated and beaten by Nature to survive. He was one of several Common Murre juveniles that Wildcare’s staff believes blown away from their male parent in a storm while migrating over the Pacific ending up on our Northern California shores. Few survived.
I know in the end no animal, humans included, will beat Nature. It just sucks a little bit more when you personally experience Nature coursing off to an undesired destination.
