My Memorable Incident with a Sparrow

Man’s relation with animals is very old.They can be traced back to the beginning of civilization.Basically man is also an animal,but a rational and wise one indeed.Animals can be some of our best of friends.They can be loyal to us,love us,and serve us.Moreover,they can also defend and die for us.Hence,they have been used as metaphors and examples to teach us positive values,behaviors and aspirations.And show us many positive ways to live and love our lives.

The friendship between man and animals is more reliable and lasting.The pet animals respond better to our care,love and friendship.Man’s friendship with man may not last long,but it is of permanent nature with the domesticated and pet animals.Animals, birds and such other creatures are never ungrateful.Once friends,they are always friends.They will never turn hostile or enemies on what may.They are constant, loyal and faithful till the last.They do not know betrayal,deceit or foul play.That is why they have been so useful to mankind.Many of the animals are our real and true friends.They live in perfect harmony and friendship with us.Whether the animal is a dog,a cat or a bird they share some memorable moments with us.I also had such a memorable moment with a sparrow.

Like others who have been raised in urban cities I was never in touch with any animals or raised them as a pet until a sparrow whom once I treated from an injury showed up.The incident took place when I was in class 11.I was returning to my home after attending my college classes.While I was approaching my house,a small bird fell out of its nest and landed right at my feet.The bird landed on the hard and rough road with a soft thump.I abruptly side-stepped and bent down to inspect the bird.It was a surprise as it was not just any ordinary bird,but a reddish-brown,baby sparrow.I looked up and saw the tall tree from where it must have fallen.I had always thought that perhaps pigeons and common Mayna would live around my housing estate,but a baby sparrow bemused me.The baby sparrow was injured and it needed care immediately.The fragile creature lay un-moving in my palm as I carried it back to my house.I immediately searched for the first aid kit I had kept in my drawer.After sometime,I found it lying in my last drawer.After wrapping the baby sparrow’s wounds,I proceeded to feed it. But I did not exactly

know what sparrows feed on,but I thought some water and small bits of soft papaya would help.I felt good for helping an injured bird who really was in a bad condition.And from then on my love for animals reached its new heights.It took a week of constant attention and caring to get the sparrow back to its health.It even grew a little larger during that short span of time.While it was staying at my home it removed the monotony in my day to day life accompanying me as a close friend.Though many a times I was scolded by my mom for the messes and trouble it caused but its accompany was more precious to me.

When I thought that the sparrow was all better to fly,I brought it to the front gate and released it.For a moment its detachment slipped my heart into an abyss of loneliness but I made myself clear that confining it is just like taking away its freedom of life.To my surprise, the sparrow circled the area,flapping its gorgeous but inexperienced wings and returned to perch on the gate.After that day, every time when I used to sit to my study desk in the afternoon I always saw the same sparrow through the window in my room.When the same thing happen in the following days,I knew that I have found myself a loyal and magnificent sparrow friend which was named ‘Auburn’ because of its color.

Animals fulfill the environment around us.I cannot imagine a world without animals.They not only have every right to co-exist with us,they should also be treated with love,compassion,and care.Without animals,we may slip into an abyss of loneliness and our very existence may even be threatened.That’s why our value system and standards of ethics and morality should also include how we live with and treat animals.As Mahatma Gandhi would say,”The greatness of a nation and

its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” We can’t have nobility and dignity if we do not extend it to the animal kingdom.Neither can we claim to have love in our heart if we have no love for animals.We can never be truly in touch with our soul if we do not realize that animals can suffer pain and sorrow like us.Hence, we should be sensitive to how we treat animals and we should defend them when they are being badly treated.When they are abused,we should never stand by and do nothing about it.Perhaps,the Golden Rule should also apply here.Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you.A quote from Immanuel Kant came to my mind: ‘We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.‘ For all the virtues and strengths that we have,we make ourselves less than a human when we abuse animals.We lower ourselves to one of the lowest denominators when we do all kinds of barbaric and wicked acts on them.

When we save an animal’s life,learn to live with and love them,we are not just keeping them safe and alive but also we are demonstrating an act of compassion,kindness and inspiration to ourselves and the environment around us.So,we should try to be kind towards these innocent animals for the stability of our environment and sake of our survival.

 Farhaj Ahammed Arnob

Level#01, Semester#01

Faculty: Veterinary, Animal & Biomedical Sciences

Institution: Sylhet Agricultural University