Like most people I have a soft spot for animals. Show me a picture of a cute puppy or kitten and I am done in. Get me near a bird and this big dude turns to mush.
Like humans, animals can also be faced with adjusting to life with a disability. They may need medical care and rehabilitation at first, a friendlier and more forgiving environment at second, and a bit more understanding from those around them at last. It is amazing, the similarities between the needs of so vastly different living things.
In either case, animal or human, the worth and the beauty of the individual is apparent if you only choose to see it.
The birds in these images all have disabilities of a permanent nature. Enjoy the pictures.
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Sail |
Kirby |
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Shortie Short Eared Owl Unable to fly |
Annie Alaskan Bald Eagle Unable to lift off |
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Lady Byron Turkey Vulture Struck by vehicle |
Morgan Harris Hawk Imprinted |
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Fiona Gyrfalcon Lost an eye |
Strix Barred Owl Struck by vehicle |
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Photographs by Kara Landsman Courtesy of the Hudson Valley Raptor Center. |
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| * Imprinted- A bird that has been exposed to humans and no longer has the skills to survive in its natural environment. | ||
