This was just posted through my letterbox...

[NamingIsTough]

It's real, it moves. What the fuck do I do!?

Time You implied that the brutality if nature means animals should be left to die by well meaning animal lovers. I have simply implied that the reasoning you used to explain why this should be the case could equally be applied to humans yet we don't tend to leave them to die as a result of that same brutality. I am questioning your reasoning as to why we should leave an animal to die but help a human subjected to that same brutality. I would hope that for the majority of people, like the OP, the compassion they have as humans is extended to an animal in need as much as a human.

I am questioning your reasoning as to why we should leave an animal to die but help a human subjected to that same brutality.

Because it conflicts with the balance of nature. Birds don't help birds because they 'know' (not rationally, but through instinct) that more birds hatch than can be sustained into adulthood. That bird is not 'in need' of help. Humans 'know' that rationally, yet still interfere.

And I have never said I agree with the extent to which humans help humans they perceive are 'in need' - I think we have evolved to a point where we have guaranteed our eventual extinction!

I know I couldn't see an animal in distress and just leave it to die. Am glad the OP intervened as she did.

I've hand reared plenty of baby birds that age - although the pigeon and crow families tend to do best of the passerine family. I successfully raised 4 wrens a couple of years ago - it can be done, it's simply incredibly time consuming. The main proviso I would put is that birds will kick out any baby that is not 'quite right', so if you find one on the floor, it hasn't necessarily fallen out, particularly if it's v young and not very mobile. That, and predation injuries, tend to mean they don't have much of a chance, but that doesn't mean to say it isn't worth passing them on to a vet or wildlife sanctuary

Thank you for doing what you did, OP. Crossing fingers you get a positive update.

Perhaps you should tell these animals that they shouldn't care for other species. It isn't just humans who have the desire to help and nurture where possible.

They are "remarkable" aren't they? Because, unlike humans, it is the exception, rather than the rule for this to happen. Even the article says these circumstances crop up "from time to time" - it is far more common for one animal to ignore the plight of the other; like the poor pigeons in my local canal which could be "saved" by the ducks.

As i said, it is not unknown, but it is not an evolutionary trait, which is exclusive to humans.

Well done OP, I'm really happy you saved the little bird. I'd have done the same especially as I should make up for the ones my cats probably kill anyway.

When we found some starlings, the vet said to put them in a box on top of the washing line, so any cats couldn't get at them, and that the parents would find them.

Well done....

Fingers crossed on the bird/

OP I hand- reared a chaffinch nestling of about that size/age when i was little. It not only survived, it came back the following year with a mate. So it is possible. Well done!

Oh poor little thing.

My ds would hand rear it - he has successfully hand reared a magpie, pigeon, duck and jackdaw. They all stick around and the duck comes back every summer with her brood!

Well done OP. Hope the little birdie survives...

I'm definitely not an animal lover. I wouldn't harm one, but I can't say I really care about them at all. Don't even eat them. But I really hope this little bird makes it.

I found a baby housemartin in my sons room. There was a nest not far above his window. It had obviously fallen out an managed to fall indoors. It was very young and pink. I put it in a box on something soft and put it indoors in my warmish kitchen. Waited a few hours for the OH to come home so we could get a ladder and put it back. But when I looked it had died. The good intentions were there though. 😩

How is the birdie today OP?

Oh I missed the middle page where the action was! Glad to hear they took him for you, what a nice person you are op

This thread is bonkers! Particularly the part where the op does a 1hr 20 round trip to try and save a teeny baby bird!!

Bonkers in a nice way though

Well done OP for looking after it. I've tried to rescue numerous baby birds over the years, going out digging up worms for them to feed on! Only one ever managed to make it, and it was much more mature than yours, but I would never not try!

Agree with whoever it was said about the RSPCA, not worth the trouble of trying to get through to them, they don't want to know and offer no help (even when we had a wild rabbit needing help - blooming thing, hopping down the road in the middle of our village, and someone knocks on our door and says it that your rabbit! Eh? Why ask us? It's a wild rabbit! Why pick my house out of the numerous others?! Of course, muggins me, couldn't just leave the poor thing and had to try helping it. Unfortunately it died overnight.)

The person who put that through your letterbox is very sick minded.

Good luck with baby bird Naming.

The wildlife sanctuary will do all they can. You did a good thing by helping this little bird. You went out of your way to help the little creature.

OP you are lovely and I hope the little thing pulls through. I also admire the posters on this thread who foster wildlife. I have done the same with abandoned kittens. It is heartbreaking when they don't survive but incredibly rewarding when they do

I'm with LaConnerie except not sure that it's in a good way particularly. 1hr 20 minute round trip burning all that fuel and spewing out all those poisonous fumes for one nestling? If that was done for every single nestling that fell out how much quicker could we destroy this planet for all life forms I wonder? If it was a species that we'd allowed to become endangered by our mindless burning of fossil fuels I could go with it and I don't like to see a living thing suffer but there has to be some rationality about such things, surely?

I assume you don't fly, drive, eat meat and have remained childless to avoid unnecessary emissions IFeel?

Sometimes you just have to do the right thing, and bugger the fuel. So what! Big deal, there isn't enough kindness in this world.

I hope little Chickadee gets better OP. Nice one!