By Juliana Di Leonardo
As the world around us begins to thaw, the shedding of seasonal depression commences. The days increasingly get longer with sunlight motivating us to be active, and even though the temperatures haven’t quite risen to where our skin requests more exposure, we continue to experience growing excitement for holidays, adventures, and vacations to come. One holiday in particular, Easter, emphasizes spring revival by using images of bunnies, chicks, ducklings, and eggs. Bright colors and cute decorations, such as pastel colored plastic eggs, various-sized chocolate bunnies, woven baskets, and other accessories, fill stores indulging in the hype to inspire families to plan for the sun-filled days ahead. Children especially get excited for egg hunts and goodie baskets, which are meant to be enjoyed, but sometimes adults take these caricatures a little too literally.
Baby animals may be cute, but they are a lifetime commitment. Often during the holidays, people will buy bunnies, chicks, and ducklings because they fit the theme of springtime and Easter. They are convinced that bringing an animal into their home would be some kind of learning experience, especially when it comes to fowl, but as with any baby or young child, the feat is incredibly challenging when the decision is on impulse. It is now the end of March, and our phones have been ringing nonstop due to families trying to unload their springtime pets because they weren’t prepared for the care that is required to rear a bunny, chick, or duckling. They complain about their feces, surprise allergies, limited space, unexpected males or females, and the effort necessary to keep them healthy. These animals deserve more than being the problem of a half-baked thought.
Our organization, Humane Long Island, rarely accepts owner surrenders because we believe that people need to take responsibility for their decisions. We will gladly aid in guiding a family who knows they made a mistake but wants to do right by the animal they purchased; however, we will never clean up somebody’s mess if they assume that they can wash their hands of a situation. If it isn’t clear, they will never do it again. Recently, we were contacted about four ducklings from Animal Care Centers of New York, a neighbor who was concerned about these birds took them from a family whose teenage son mail-ordered them from a factory farm. The four ducklings were each mutilated; they had one wing pinioned, the lower half of a bird’s wing cut off to prevent flight, and the tips of their bills severed. These baby Pekins, heavy-bodied meat birds in the agricultural market business, less than a week old, have been disfigured, bought, shipped, and tossed away because a careless boy decided that these ducklings were unworthy of love and protection. We are grateful for the caring neighbor who chose to find help for these babies.
For this week’s Anuvrat, I encourage you to enjoy this spring season by connecting with nature by taking pictures, bird watching, or hiking, and encourage your friends, neighbors, and strangers to practice ahimsa by reminding them to not fall into quick judgment and to contemplate the harm that might come with hasty decision-making.
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(Photo courtesy: Juliana Di Leonardo)
Juliana Di Leonardo is the Vice President of Humane Long Island. She is a yoga and ballroom dance instructor, model, and artist. Her advocacy for animals exploited by the fashion industry was credited in the 2021 documentary “The Face of Fashion is Fear” and recognized by PETA with a Hero for Coyotes award.
