#mostly bc i’m lurker material

[ccaleb-widogast]

Reblog if you think even the smallest of creatures deserve every chance to live as full and happily as they can.

Nuggie is a common house sparrow (passer domesticus) that I found on my doorstep when he was barely two days old, kicked from his nest for having a common deformity of the legs found in chicks whose parents consumed pesticides/insecticides.

In short, Nuggie is unreleasable, but my husband and I worked tirelessly to save him and give him a chance to live, even when all the odds (and expert opinions) were against us. His strength of will was astounding from day one. If he wanted to live that badly even after nature said no, then by God we were going to fight with him.

And he survived! He’s one year old as of the end of April and with good health and safety, he has another 12+ years to live (the domestic lifespan of a sparrow).

(Note: It’s unusual to take in an animal and have the capacity to raise it in comfort and health. Do all the research you can if you ever find yourself in a scenario like ours and contact a wildlife center if possible. It was a miracle that Nuggie lived, and it’s sadly very common for small birds not to live through what he endured. Educate yourself before you decide whether you are capable of caring for the critters you may find.)