Accidental animal crueltyI once invented a brilliant game - I'd sit at the top of the stairs and throw cat biscuits to the bottom. My cat would eat them, then I'd shake the box, and he would run up the stairs for more biscuits. Then - of course - I'd throw a biscuit back down to the bottom. I kept this going for about half an hour, amused at my little game, and all was fine until the cat vomited. I felt absolutely dreadful.
Have you accidentally been cruel to an animal?
This question has been revived from way, way, way back on the b3ta messageboard when it was all fields round here.
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rob, Thu 6 Dec 2007, 11:13)
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And now for something completely different...It was a typical hot and dry summer’s day, the type of which are so precious to an Englishman beset by depressions rolling in from the Atlantic. I decided to make the most of the balmy afternoon by reading my book, The life of Pi (excellent) and possibly snoozing in my parent’s conservatory.
Once I was settled in a near horizontal position I became aware of a weak, intermittent buzzing sound coming from the corner of the room. I peeled myself off the sofa to investigate and there bumping forlornly in the window was a big fat bumble bee. It was literally on it’s last legs; they say bumble bees shouldn’t technically be able to fly, but this one really couldn’t.
I gently scooped it up with a piece of paper a offered it an open window. But it was too late, the poor little might hardly had the strength to stand and she slipped from the paper towards the cruel cold slate floor. I somehow managed to drop to my knees and catch her in my hand, all sense of self preservation gone. She didn’t sting me. Whether this was because she was too tired or because she knew I was trying to help I’ll never know.
As her movements slowed I felt her life slowly ebbing away. I was running out of ideas. Then it came to me! Most insects have incredibly high metabolisms if I can just get her to feed maybe she’ll survive. I rushed to the kitchen a grabbed a saucer, a pot of honey and mixed up a hot water and honey mix in the saucer. I gently placed the bee on the side of the saucer, where she sat motionless. It was too late exhaustion had killed her.
But no! Suddenly her proboscis slowly unfurled and started to lap at the sweet nourishing honey. Over the next few minutes her feeding became faster, until she actually started to flap her delicate wings. Quickly I rushed the saucer outside where after several false starts she lifted woozily into the air and bumbled off down the garden.
I hope she went back to her hive and told all of her bumble babies that not all people are cruel and unkind and that they shouldn’t sting people but should just try and look pretty flying between summer flowers for all to enjoy.
Many would say it was just a bumble bee, but I can’t tell you how I felt when she flew away, it was a little bit of happiness in a cold world and deep down inside me I knew I had done a small but good thing.
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Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Wed 12 Dec 2007, 9:17,
9 replies)
Aw!I love bees - Now wasps, that's a different matter. Kill the fuckers.
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girlinthehole, Wed 12 Dec 2007, 9:30,
closed)
Fuck me at last!!!A story that isn’t a bastarding nasty act of animal cruelty thinly disguised as an "accident".
Christ some of this weeks QOTW answers leave me hoping some people on here never breed, as they seem to be lacking some fairly basic empathy or cause & effect awareness.
Good on ya. Bees ftw
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The magic of chutney Shakes it like an Instagram filter!, Wed 12 Dec 2007, 9:59,
closed)
Bees can flyI've seen them do it.
We merely can't explain *how* they fly.
(, Wed 12 Dec 2007, 10:05, closed)
*enjoys warm glow inside*Oh, and the thing about bees' flight being inexplicable? Not true. Sorry.
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Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 12 Dec 2007, 10:29,
closed)
EnzymeI had heard that the thing about bumblebees being unable to fly was an urban legend, but just now I found out that the buzz is actually produced by their flight muscles, not their wings beating. Which of course explains how they can make the buzzing noise while not flying. They're quite literally warming up the engines for flight!
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K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 12 Dec 2007, 10:42,
closed)
Finewww.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1652958,00.html
Until fairly recently we didn't know how bees flew.
(, Wed 12 Dec 2007, 10:44, closed)
Yay! This made me happy.It's a myth that we didn't know until recently how bees flew. We worked it out in the 1920s.
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Bob Todd whee, Wed 12 Dec 2007, 11:43,
closed)
/pedantryBumble Bees (the fat fuckers) have no sting.
That is all
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BulldogUgly Visit my profile to see what's between my legs, Wed 12 Dec 2007, 13:05,
closed)
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