I had a very sad day. My husband had an appointment at our local hospital which is within our forest. We went in separate cars and as I left, I noticed that a young deer had been hit by a car and was lying in the median, kicking in obvious distress. As soon as I was able, I turned around and went back to where it was. It had stopped kicking but was still alive. I held it’s soft, warm little body and tried to assess if it was injured or dying. I flagged down some vehicles and a heavily tattooed man drew up and also a business woman. I explained what had happened and asked either of them if they had a gun. The man said that he didn’t have one with him but the woman did. She looked horrified at the idea of killing Bambi but I just wanted to put it out of its misery. Another car stopped and said they would call the police. In the meantime, I continued to stroke the poor little creature until I finally felt the life go out of its body. I said, “I think it has died, I can’t feel a heartbeat”. I moved the body gently to see if there was any response and noticed that its eyes had gone glassy. The tattooed man gently helped me take it over to the verge. In retrospect, we are probably not allowed to discharge a weapon in the city but at least the fawn was comforted into the after life. It made me realize how different life is in the the countryside from the city. A farmer would have known exactly what to do.
Bambi
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poor little thing.. Thank goodness you gave it comfort while it passed over
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It was a real privilege, although sad, to be there to comfort it.
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How sad! We saw a dead one on our bike ride on Monday too, also in the forest.
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It was sad – I have never seen one that was still alive when hit.
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Well done Kerry, I know many (probably including me) who would have passed by. Very well done, and thankfully the gun became a non-issue.
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Quite a few trucks passed by but I was delighted at how kind the people who stopped were. Tattooed man was particularly grounded and sensible. Thank you for kind comment.
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Oh that is so sad! I would find it very hard to let go of that experience. As you say, it is comforting to know there are so many other kind hearted people out there.
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Thank you, Ali. I have held quite a few dying animals having worked in an animal shelter in Cairo but each one breaks a little bit of your heart. The tattooed man showed that you should never judge by appearances.
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I had a moment like that with someone too who showed kindness and compassion to my disabled daughter. I’ll never forget it. I wrote about it on my blog too. You are a better person than me if you can do work like that. Seriously I don’t have the strength, and I hate that about myself. The vulnerable need people like you.
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Ali, from your blog I know that you are a better person than me. You have enormous strength but it is hard to see that in yourself. My life has just led me on a path where I am not afraid of death. K x
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Well its not many of us can say that, Kerry. Though I’m sure we all wished we could. Thank you.
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That you cared says more because so many are inured to the suffering of others xxx
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Thank you so much. I suspect that most other people are just frightened of being so close to death and having to live with that poignant memory. Living in the countryside allows you to be close to the natural beginning and end of life. K x
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Definitely. I lived in a big city growing up and hated how detached I was from what I felt mattered. I feel sad animals pay the price for human infringement but nature can be cruel too. At least its beauty exists in abundance, we have that.
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You said it beautifully. Wise one.
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