Leo was an energetic twelve-year-old when his father, a Parks Ranger and Wildlife Conservationist, took a job in Arizona. The family would be moving to a different environment from the Pacific Northwest where they had lived for over fifteen years. The boy had grown up among the area’s wildlife, and with his father’s guidance and mother’s knowledge in her veterinary medicine practice, Leo had become quite a naturalist. He learned how to safely rescue injured birds and animals, treat their injuries and in most cases release them back into the wild. While in rehabilitation, some of the rescues would almost become his pets. He named them and they would come when called and even after being released back into their natural habitat, he would often see glimpses of some of his rescued friends. Before the move south, he had a crow with a broken wing, a raccoon that was badly mauled by a trap, and a pair of piglets whose mother was shot by a hunter. The piglets, Pamela and Porky, would be raised by others and returned to the wild, and Rocky the raccoon was well on the way to recovery, but Kevin the crow was going with him...no way would he leave him behind. Besides, Kevin was family and Leo knew that he would adapt to the new desert environment.
Moving day was both exciting and traumatic. Their belongings were loaded on to the moving van and were on the way to Arizona. The family loaded their gear as they were driving by road, a two-day journey. Their plans included a stay in Phoenix until the moving van arrived. Kevin the crow traveled with the family in his custom crate, and at their destination was boarded at a nearby vet’s clinic. Leo visited him every day where they had their own conversation about the situation at hand, which could include whether the food was adequate and tasty, where the moving van was, when he could get out of this antiseptic-smelling place and the like. They had their own language. Leo told Kevin that although he had looked forward to the new adventure, Phoenix was not all it was cracked up to be and was proving to be a big disappointment. It was a sprawling concrete jungle, with vast freeways leading to malls that seemed to be cities unto themselves. How that American President from long ago chose to name the place after the Egyptian bird who rose from the ashes to be better than ever, was a mystery to him.
Leo’s father assured him he’d like their new home, as it was located over a hundred miles northeast of Phoenix, on the edge of the Sonoran Desert and there would be all kinds of new wildlife to enjoy. The house and surrounding outbuildings sat on a twenty five-acre spread and his mother would be opening a new veterinary practice just a few miles away. His father’s new responsibilities would cover a larger territory than before, and the opportunities to use his knowledge and experience of the land and wildlife were much greater.
The family received word that the moving van would be arriving at their new home by the end of the week. They picked up Kevin from the vet clinic and drove north to camp out the night before the van arrived. When Leo saw the new home he was astonished at how beautiful it was in the desert sunset, with all new fauna and flora to be learned about. He also knew that Kevin would easily make this his home too, although he would still need care from his human brother to fully heal. It took only a few hours to unload the household belongings and the family settled into a new lifestyle in an arid place. It was not without beauty...the glorious sunrises and sunsets, the heat of the day and the coolness of the nights. Oh, and the desert night skies....Leo had never seen anything like it and was determined to study the night sky to understand his place in this new territory.
In the coming weeks, Leo and his sidekick, Kevin would wander the environs of their new home, discovering all kinds of critters. His curiosity never waned in learning about the animals and birds that made this place their home. Kevin would hop along on the ground vocalizing his own approval or disapproval of the new discoveries. He was not yet able to fly on his own and Leo kept a keen eye on him as he was still vulnerable to some of the large predators like turkey vultures or golden eagles.
Late one afternoon, Kevin went missing. He had been wandering around the yard foraging for tidbits and testing his almost-healed wing, when he just went off on his own. When Leo saw he was gone, he went out calling to him....”Kevin, boy, where are you? Did you finally get to fly, or were you distracted by a girlfriend? Kevin? Kevin?” Leo followed his distinctive footprints in the sandy track until he came upon blood, some fur but nothing else. Kevin’s footprints continued on with another set of prints, one of another species.
It was getting dark. The prints cast deep shadows, but with the fading light, Leo was not prepared to go on a night trek without preparation. The tracks led down to the river at the bottom of the nearby canyon, and then followed to the rocky cliffs where they disappeared. Leo kept calling to his crow, but his voice just echoed off the canyon walls. Nightfall brought down a velvet blanket, so Leo waited until the sky brought forth the light show of stars. It was nearing a full moon, so there was light along the trail that brought him to this place, but his understanding of where he was brought him to the realization he should retrace his steps and return to find his crow brother the next day.
An anxious night with little sleep prevailed. He arose before sunrise, and prepared to find his crow brother. His parents were told of the previous night’s search and Leo was given a digital location device to signal their help. With water and food for himself and Kevin, he set off, retracing the previous evening’s tracks. When he reached the river at the bottom of the canyon, he saw his own footprints and where he had turned around the night before. With careful observation he looked to where the crow and other footprints had moved on, but the rocky cliff face offered no clues. He called, “Kevin, Kevin, where are you?” All he heard was the echo of his own voice, until, a long while later he heard the familiar chatter of his brother crow. It appeared to come from a distance, and from higher up on the canyon rock face. Leo kept calling, and the answers became more frequent as he moved towards the sounds.
Then he saw his brother crow at the mouth of a crevice about six feet above the canyon floor. He was hopping back and forth and chattering in his crow voice that indicated he was involved in a desperate situation. Leo thought Kevin was trying to help or protect some animals in the crevice behind. He found a ledge to climb closer and was amazed to see a ringtail female with her brood behind him. Kevin allowed Leo to reach inside to inspect the condition of the female who had what looked like talon gouges along her back, that were bleeding. She was obviously in distress, so Leo backed away, sent out an SOS signal to his parents, and returned home for their help. When they learned of what Leo had encountered, they prepared a crate and other medical supplies and set out to rescue the ringtail and her babies.
This became Leo’s baptism of fire in his new home. When the ringtail’s wounds had healed and she had weaned her three babies, the family was released back to the wild.
Leo grew up to become a noted naturalist and conservationist in his own right. The hero of this tale though, was not Leo nor his parents, but Kevin the crow, a corvid of supreme intelligence and endurance. He had followed the wounded ringtail back to her den and protected her until his brother came to rescue them. Leo and Kevin remained brothers for many years and shared many great adventures.
NOTE: The Ringtail was officially designated as Arizona’s state mammal in 1986. It is not a cat as commonly known, but a member of the raccoon family. They are small mammals, and although the bane of some chicken ranchers are accepted as the harmonious nocturnal occupants of desert regions.
***
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete