Disposable Heroes

There is something rather magnificent about Twinkie.

Perhaps it is the proud sweep of his tail feathers, a glorious cascade of silver, grey and white. Or the rich red of his comb and wattles, made all the more striking by his delicate white earlobes.

Perhaps it is simply the quiet dignity with which this gentle little Bantam rooster carries himself.

Yet none of these things could save Twinkie from becoming unwanted.

Like countless roosters before him, he found himself in a pound with his future hanging by the slenderest of threads.

And with our sanctuary coops already home to so many once-abandoned roosters, we faced an all-too-familiar heartbreak.

Though there was room in our hearts for this sweet little bird, there was precious little room elsewhere.

So we turned to our rehoming community, trusting someone might offer Twinkie what every living being deserves.

A safe place to call home and maybe, in Twinkie’s case, a few hens to call his harem.

And wonderfully, someone did.

And while Twinkie’s stay with us was brief, the impression this little-big fellow left upon our hearts will be anything but fleeting.

For roosters are among the most misunderstood and undervalued animals of all. Brought into existence by human choices, they so often become inconvenient the moment their sex is revealed or their usefulness expires.

Imagine if male puppies or kittens were routinely discarded simply for being born male. The outrage would be deafening. Yet for roosters, the silence is almost as heartbreaking as their fate.

And here’s the thing about Twinkie.

He doesn’t have to be beautiful or gentle or even particularly endearing.

He simply is someone.

For a life should never have to earn the right to matter.

And in a world so quick to dispose of lives like Twinkie’s, perhaps it is not the roosters who have lost their worth, but our compassion that has lost its way.