How to save a pigeon
A 15 minute encounter with a pigeon that changed both our lives!
It was a normal lockdown afternoon. We were used to having lunch as a family in our living room and today was no different. A short while later, Archit headed into the master bedroom and exclaimed loudly.
There was a pigeon in our bedroom, daintily sitting on the table.
We were initially surprised, because the balcony of our master bedroom was already netted up — specifically meant to keep our feathered friends away. Once the initial shock wore away, we realised that the pigeon had made its way from the open bathroom window into the bedroom. The bathroom window was in the form of louvres which meant that it was one directional. The pigeon had found its way in but there was no way out for it.
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Once the pigeon noticed the multiple humans enter the room, it started panicking. It left a visible trace of its nervousness on the bed and fluttered into the balcony. Once in the balcony, it started panicking even more. It could see freedom on the other side of the net but no way out. It could get its neck out but not its entire body. The pigeon was becoming desperate.
Enter yours truly. I realised that we couldn’t really guide the pigeon out since the route for its eventual freedom was complicated. Also we would only cause the bird to panic more and inflict more damage inside the house. I felt the need for me and for the bird to be calm. I started talking to the pigeon, asking it to relax in a soft voice. Initially it did not and intensified its efforts to bore through the net, but that didn’t work. Eventually my voice had some sort of effect on it and it went into a corner and stopped struggling.
I picked up an old rag and approached the pigeon. I knew I had to make sure that I held the pigeon the right way without causing damage to its wings. I also had to be gentle so that the pigeon felt safe and did not resist too much. I continued talking to the pigeon and gently tried to spread the cloth over the pigeons wings. It took two attempts but it worked. I had spread the cloth just perfectly, covering its wings but not its neck and this gave me the perfect grip on the bird. I was still talking to it. It was not resisting. I picked it up and asked Archit to help me by opening the main balcony window. I headed out there and stood close to the window. I spoke gently, one last time to my feathered friend, before I released it. It fluttered away into the distance, cooing in gratitude.
The whole episode lasted just about 15 minutes but it left an everlasting impression in our minds. It was the day we made a difference to a frightened pigeons life.
