Comfort in feathers

Posted on: March 16, 2012

Monday 12 March 2012

I’ve been having a bit of a tough time lately – I’m stressed and miserable and generally not cracking it, it’s pretty bleak. A bit of escapism can go a long way in dark times, even if the effect is not permanent; on Monday I took the day off work to visit the World of Birds and am so very glad I did.

As a family we used to visit the WOB quite regularly when I was a kid, and I’m happy to report that unlike a lot of things I’ve grown out of, the place still holds the same kind of wonder for me now as it did back then.

It’s changed a bit but the fundamentals are still the same – a huge mix of birds from all over the world, most are injured or unfit for the wild in some way and so are living a rehabilitated life in captivity. There’s also an ever-increasing mammal population, including a porcupine, raccoon, honey badger, a few meerkats, a variety of monkeys and a couple of llamas among others. Oh, and all of the many squirrels that run freely around the place have also been rescued and hand-reared.

Even though it was back to the reality of life and work all too soon, spending the day with the birds was a much needed glimmer of hope. I dunno why it’s been so long since I last visited but it definitely won’t be too long before I go back again.