Poppy (Big Daddy)

Big Daddy was a young king pigeon I renamed Poppy (to me, he just seemed too young and frail for so much responsibility as being a Big Daddy). He was found as a stray in SF at Naples & Silver on Sunday 3/27. He must have been out there on his own for awhile because the SFACC vet staff noted how thin he was on intake. A volunteer alerted me that he was there on Monday 3/28 and I was able to do a welfare check on him Tuesday 3/29. Despite being feisty enough to wing fu the previous day, Poppy had run out of strength when I saw him. He was wobbly on his feet with an empty crop and scant poop and I was alarmed at how emaciated he was when I picked him up. He weighed 405 grams and should have weighed 650.

I hadn't expected to be taking him but he needed special care and so I brought him home to foster.

But help came too late for Poppy. He died hours later, on his heating pad, in the night, in his sleep I believe.