A couple who took a tiny, orphaned sparrow into their home to keep her alive never intended to make her part of the family. But after releasing her several times, the sparrow always came back, and today the trio shares an inseparable bond.
Educator Janja Cerne, 34, and 38-year-old Ales Zaric, who works in the gaming industry, live in Slovenia’s coastal region. Both animal lovers, the couple was first to be called when a local found a baby bird that had fallen from its nest in May 2020.
“Our friend Suzana called us when her neighbor found a sparrow fledgling on the ground near their house,” Zaric told The Epoch Times. “There were actually two fledglings, but one was unfortunately already dead. The nest was nowhere to be found.
“We of course didn’t have to debate the situation and immediately went there to collect the bird. Keeping her as a part of the family was the last thing on our minds.”
The bird was around ten days old, judging by the shape of her beak and the amount of feathers on her frame. She was stable and had no injuries or parasites but was so tiny she could be hidden in the palm of a hand.
The couple, who do not have veterinary training, started researching how to keep the bird alive. First came feeding.
“We equipped ourselves with knowledge and began feeding her with a mixture of wet cat food, tofu, and bananas. In retrospect we would avoid using cat food ... but we had to come up with something quick. Most small birds need protein to grow and that protein can be 100 percent plant-based,” Zaric said. “Fledglings must be fed almost every half-hour, so we don’t know how we would have pulled it off had it not been for the pandemic and working from home.”
The couple used tweezers to feed the fledgling and place droplets of water on her beak, rather than down her throat, to avoid the risk of suffocation. They built a makeshift “incubator” to keep her warm and a habitat with perches and games in their living room.
“Young featherless birds need external heat to keep warm,” he said. “We took a small cardboard box, made holes in it, filled it with soft blankets, and wrapped heating wire around it. We even put a small plushie inside [and she] actually snuggled with it.”
Previously quiet, the baby bird soon started anticipating meal times by chirping loudly, stretching her neck upward, and opening her beak for food. It gave her carers hope that she would make it.
“She had perfect conditions and our constant attention,” Zaric said. “No wonder she became imprinted almost immediately.”
The couple’s plan was to release the sparrow into the wild as soon as she could fly. Since they live in a high-rise apartment they began scouting for a safe spot to release her and settled on a friend’s garden; they would affix the bird’s wooden house to a tree and let her fly away. Yet by now, the bird was showing “incredible levels of attachment,” sleeping in the couple’s hands, playing, and eating with them. They worried for her safety: Where would she go? How would she know to avoid danger?
As it turned out, they needn’t have worried.
“She was let go but she came back, that’s the short story!” Zaric said. “She flew up to a tree and came back. It was one of the most amazing things we have ever seen; a tiny, fluffy, energetic sparrow that comes back to you and wants to go home and eat mashed potatoes. How is that even possible?
“We tried again the next day and the day after that, but with the same results. That is when we decided that our home is where she belongs and we never looked back.”
Chibi is now three years old, but her humans feel like she’s been with them forever. The happy little bird lives without limits in their home, flying freely, singing, “nesting” with twigs and paper in warm weather, sleeping on ceiling lights and window ledges, and dive-bombing the couple’s bed for cuddles in the morning.
“We really have to pay attention not to squish her,” Zaric said. “She sleeps through the night and acts very much according to the amount of sunlight throughout the day. She eats constantly, knows the meaning of ‘fridge,’ and the sound of opening a can of sweetcorn. She takes regular baths in our goldfish aquarium, likes to observe nature from the window, and enjoys exploring.”
Chibi goes for walks with her humans almost every day; meeting strangers; flying high into the treetops, into rivers, and out over the ocean; and even interacting with other birds but she always comes back.
“We may have saved her life, but she changed ours so much that we could never repay her,” the couple said. “We have complete trust in her and firmly believe that she will never leave us. This feeling of trust and bond is really special and hard to explain. You could probably use the word, love.
“All living beings deserve our respect, and we should all do our best to help them survive and thrive.”
