Black Swan

I think one of the interesting things I've found out about myself so far on this trip is just how affected I am by animals. I've spent a lot of my time doing things that are animal related, visiting zoos, swimming with dolphins, holding koalas...whatever. I really love animals.

Then, yesterday, I was in a cafe that has quickly become a favorite of mine in Melbourne when I came across a story about a male black swan whose mate was brutally killed by seven local teenagers (they threw rocks at her for no apparent reason) as she sacrificed herself to protect her eggs. The male has spent every waking moment since protecting the eggs, never leaving for more than a minute, rarely (if ever) eating. The story truly broke my heart and really sealed the deal - I hate teenagers. They are awful people seemingly more often than not.

Another thing it did was caused me to go on a bit of a walkabout (to steal my friend Brandon's terminology), traveling to the direct opposite side of the city - an hour by tram, 20 minutes by foot - just so I could see this swan. And I have to say, the experience was moving and really, really sad. Swans mate just once in life, and they spend their entire lives with their mate. To have that robbed from him...well, I'm not going to pretend to be able to understand the emotions that may or may not exist within them, but if you think of it from a human perspective, it is a wildly tragic story.

A lot of really cool things have happened lately (which you will hear about sooner rather than later), but this story I felt needed to be shared. People really need to be better to animals. There is no reason not to be, yet this story exists because people cannot be good. It's a damn shame.

And yes, that is an awful pic I actually took myself of the swan at the top.