2 Birds, 2 Stories and 1 Lesson

Once the Dodo birds were found in the islands of Mauritius, where abundant food sources like fruits, nuts, seeds, bulbs and roots were readily available to feed themselves.

They gained large sizes and weight and their wings became smaller. The relative absence of mammalian herbivores and predators made them careless and fearless. They would lay eggs on the ground itself.

In the process, they forgot their real strength and capability. Their distinctive beaks were capable of delivering a fairly painful bite to defend themselves. Despite having features of their skeleton, similar to flying pigeons, and capable of flight, they became flightless, but by nature, they remained friendly creatures.

In 1600, Dutch sailors started coming in there. They started killing dodos for their meat. Other animals like monkey, pigs and dogs brought with sailors, also started eating their food items, and rats started eating their eggs. But dodo birds were not in a position to fly or resist attack by the invaders and finally they got extinct in the 17th century. Only two mummies are now found in Mauritius University and Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

Now coming to another bird, Cassowary, the deadliest bird, that is native to the humid rainforests of New Guinea and north-eastern Australia. They are omnivorous and feed on fruits, seeds, roots, shoots, small creatures, fungi etc. Cassowaries are shy and fascinating birds, but they are adept at disappearing long before a human knows about their presence. They prefer to live in groups.

The most dangerous weapon of cassowaries is four-inch, dagger like claw on each foot. When they are threatened, they charge at the lightening speed (upto 50 kms per hour), and can slice open any predator with a single swift kick. Cassowary attacks on humans occur every year in Australia resulting in serious injuries.

Though several deaths of cassowaries have been reported due to encounters with vehicles, dogs and pigs, but still they have been able to maintain their existence due to their strength and defence mechanism.

These two stories give a lesson that over-dependance is fatal. The history has proven time and again that this world belongs to those who have their own strength and capabilities to resist misadventures by enemy forces. Losers are easily forgotten by people. It happened centuries ago, and it’s happening even now. Only the places and faces change.

Kindness, non-violence and compassion are certainly good human values and qualities, we should all have, but attackers and invaders don’t understand this language. They have to be paid back in the same coin to protect ourselves, to maintain our own existence. God also helps those, who help themselves.

I conclude with a quote by Desmond Tutu:
We learn from history that we don’t learn from history.

–Kaushal Kishore

images: pixabay