A Far Coast Thank You to the Horvaths and a Hope That Violet's Suffering Will Bring Immediate Help for Other Hawks

Courtesy of The New York Times Hawk Cam
May 13, 2011- 5:15PM
Violet feeds Pip

Tonight, in my email box was a note from the Uptons of Washington State-

Thank you so much for posting news on Violet. Please pass along to the Horvaths that folks from as far as Olympia WA are watching, have been touched, give thanks and have the utmost regard for them.
Thanks,
Mark Upton

Thank you, Mark. Be assured I will let the Horvaths know. It will mean a lot to them. Though Bobby and Cathy have comforted the passing of many wild creatures over time, the passing of Violet has, without doubt, been extremely hard.

The Horvaths always put the hawk first but it appears that those who made the arguments to withdraw permission to allow them to treat Violet early-on did not think of her first. Other concerns seem to have gotten in the way. Was it politics or personal bias or red tape, fear of bad publicity, lack of judgment, too many "cooks", endless second guessing, or whatever kept help from reaching her, it took precedence before Violet.

In actuality though, whatever the arguments were, they all would have fallen away to nothing if the decision makers had simply remembered to put Violet first.

Let us hope that in the future when people with the power to decide are tempted to convince themselves that to do nothing for a hawk in need is for the best, when they do not listen to those who have the hands with long experience, the eyes that have watched for years, who give voice on the hawk's behalf for the help that is needed, that Violet's name will be as a standard, that it will recall her indomitable spirit to soar once again across the sky with a Red-tail's screaming battle cry merged with the voices of those she enlightened, with those who loved her, and help those who would be timid and tempted by other arguments, to remember how long Violet suffered, and think of that dear wild mother hawk in the heart of the city landscape who was lost, and in her memory fresh remembered, think of the urban Red-tailed Hawk currently in need... first.

Best regards,

Donegal Browne