Mourning Dove•YONAH TAUBE

YONAH

HELLO THERE! Did you happen to know?
https://nydovehunting.weebly.com/mourning-dove-fact-sheet.html
• The average lifespan of mourning doves is
less than one year.
Only 40% of the population lives longer.

• Hunters harvest more mourning doves annually in the U.S.A. than any other game bird, in spite of being "protected by law".

• More mourning doves are shot than the combined sum of wild turkey & every species of duck & goose.

• The oldest known Mourning Dove was a male, at about 30 years, 4 months old when he was shot in Florida in 1998. He had been banded in Georgia in 1968.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Dove/overview

Do doves love? ♥Do mourning doves mourn?

(The Answer)

"Mourning Dove": A Huron/ Wyandot legend tells of a maiden named Ayu'ra (probably more accurately spelled Iohara, a common Iroquois girl's name today) who used to care for the bird, who came to love her a great deal. One day, she became sick and died. As her spirit traveled across the land to the entrance to the Underworld, all the doves followed her and tried to gain entrance into the Underworld alongside her. Sky Woman, the deity who guards this door refused them entry, eventually creating smoke to blind them and take Ayu'ra's spirit away without their knowledge. The smoke stained their feathers gray and they have been in mourning for the maiden's loss ever since. The logic behind the story is a play on words—the sound many Native Americans attributed to the bird was "howe howe," and this is also the sound the Iroquoian peoples used to chant over the dead at funerary events.
Indian Myths; Elsey Connelly, William; pg 45 "How the Dove got it's Color and Song"

Yonah: English transliteration for Jonah (יונה) in Hebrew and means 'dove'.
Taube: German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from German Taube 'pigeon', 'dove'.
Yonah means bear in Cherokee.

The pages here are, very much, what I have come to think of and refer to as my “Days of Awe”; so much learning, so much living, and so much Love, Joy, Companionship, Friendship. When I brought Yonah in, injured, cold and wet in the Autumn rain, my only intention was to help, to provide the necessities to get him back to his flock, safely. I had no “training”, no experience other than past “rescues” with other Little Ones, over the course of my life-time. The worst was asking others for helpful advice and receiving nothing but “Nobody will take it. It's wild, not endangered. Put it in a box with some paper, make it comfortable for how-ever long...” Internet information was (is) scattered, piece-meal, and “professional” advice can be quite costly and after tedious questionnaires, result in “Bring it in to the nearest avian veterinarian.” Ah, but if there aren't any near-by? It's the end of a long and empty road. I felt very much alone and lonely... and frightened. Here was a delicate, fragile *LIFE*, in my care, and all that my heart and soul needed was to provide what-ever comfort and aid necessary so that s/he could recover and return to the life intended for him/her. I was, admittedly, clueless as to what those necessities were. As time passed and I began accumulating hints and help from so many varied and various sources, primarily on the internet... Yonah recovered, partly because of my “on-line education” and mostly because of my “gut instincts”. I resolved to compile as much information as possible into one source and to document “our” life together. The internet seemed the best course, and so, today, Yonah's web-site is becoming an on-going, ever-growing, ever-changing repository of acquired and “instinctual” learning.

Mourning doves' life expectancy in the wild is but about 18 months at very best, I've read in many accounts on the internet. In spite of being “protected” by law, they remain one of the most-murdered birds, as “sport targets”. “Sport targets”... not sources of food, just “targets”, to humans who murder them for some incomprehensible, truly quite sadistic, alleged “fun”. HOWEVER, when conditions and situations are favourable, they've been known to live wonderful lives of 5 and even 20 years! They “mate for life”, they've been known to mourn the loss of a mate, and I've come to learn that, in the presence of a caring, Loving heart and soul, they'll “bond”... even with humans... one of their other-wise worst predators.

Of the utmost importance, I want, need and insist upon stressing that, at NO time did I EVER intend or even expect to have this time with this MOST PRECIOUS, CHERISHED little LIFE! My intention was merely to provide all the support and treatment necessary to help him heal and return to the Great Wilderness into which he was born, that he is naturally entitled to. Sadly, the injuries inflicted because of the selfishness, thoughtlessness of a neighbour who was addressed and merely shrugged his shoulders when he was informed that the "family cat" was running feral into other yards, onto other property to which he and his had no rights, and injuring, when not out-right murdering the local birds, left "Yonah" in a condition where-by he was unable to fly any distance. Nor was he able to fly quickly enough to escape further predation. To release him would have been certain death. And imagine, if you will, if you're able, he'd been pinned to the ground, his wing chewed, the feathers on his torso torn from his body AND ALL THE WHILE, HE WAS ALIVE AND CONSCIOUS !!!
When you “rescue” an injured mourning dove, there are responsibilities that you must accept. If you help with the intention of release, it's imperative that you do so in a shortest-possible time. If your Little One cannot return safely, to the wild, the responsibilities will last through his/her life-time, a life-time that you will share, and you'll find to be full of joy, elation, marvel, love and awe.

***** MOST IMPORTANT: READERS BE ADVISED: YOUR LOCAL AUTHORITES MAY HAVE, ON THEIR BOOKS, EXTREMELY STRICT RULES, REGULATIONS AND LAWS THAT ALLOW THEM TO ESSENTIALLY BREAK AND ENTER YOUR PREMISES, CONFISCATE AND MURDER A MOURNING DOVE IN YOUR POSSESSION, WITH AND WITH-OUT A FORMAL WARRANT.
ON 2 NOVEMBER 2024, NEW YORK STATE "OFFICERS" ENTERED INTO THE PREMISES OF A PARTY LOCATED NEAR ELMIRA, IN THE CENTRAL-WESTERN PART OF THE STATE, PROHOIBITED THE OWNERS FROM RE-ENTRY FOR 5 HOURS WHILST THEY, THE "OFFICERS" SEARCH FOR AND CAPTURED A SQUIRREL AND RACOON THE COUPLE HAD NURTURED FOR 7 YEARS. UPON SEIZING THE LITTLE ONES, THE OFFICERS PROCEEDED TO MURDER THEM UNDER THE GUISE OF "TESTING FOR RABIES". (SEE: PEANUT AND FRED)
SHOULD YOU TAKE THE RESPONSIBILIY OF HOUSING-TO-NURTURE A MOURNING DOVE, IN THE UNITED STATES, AND YOU DO NOT HAVE WHAT IS CONSIDERED "PROPER LICENSURE" ("Rahabber's License") YOU RISK A FINE OF $25,000 USD, AND THIS APPLIES EVEN TO THE POSSESSION OF AN EGG OR FEATHER.M
THERE IS NO LENIENCY WHERE THE "AUTHORITIES" ARE CONCERNED AND THEIR PUNSIHMENT CAN BE SWIFT AND BRUTAL.
ALSO, IF YOU DO RESTORE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF A MOURNING DOVE AND IT CANNOT BE RETURNED TO THE WILD, UNDER THE RULES/REGULATIONS, THE LITTLE ONE MUST AND WILL BE "DESTROYED".
NOTE-WORTHY: AVIAN VETERINARIANS ARE OBLIGATED, UNDER THESE "RULES", TO CONFISCATE A MOURNING DOVE THAT YOU BRING TO THEM FOR CARE AND TO GIVE THE DOVE TO THE NEAREST "AUTHORISED STATE OFFICIAL" WHO WILL ARRANGE FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF THE LITTLE ONE.
LIKE-WISE, NEIGHBOURS CAN (AND, AS IN THE RECENT NY CASE, WILL) "NOTIFY AUTHORITIES" OF THE LOCATION OF THE DOVE(S) AND HAVE THEM REMOVED FROM YOUR CARE.
IT IS, THERE-FORE, RECOMMENDED THAT ANY CARE YOU GIVEM FROM YOUR CARING HEART, BE A MATTER RESTRICTED TO YOU AND YOUR PRECIOUS LITTLE ONE AND THAT IT BE DONE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
IN THE EVENT THAT "CURE" CANNOT BE AFFECTED PROMPTLY, IT'S ADVISED THAT YOU TAKE THE LITTLE ONE TO THE NEAREST VETERINARIAN WHO WILL ARRANGE FOR A MERCIFUL END TO THE LITTLE ONE'S SUFFERING.

The trust can't and mustn't be “rushed”, how-ever. As with any relationship, trust will come over time, and in this case, you'll have to be patient.

Mourning doves are MORE-than-obviously “sentient”, having “feelings” and the ability to “bond with” and be appreciative of others.
As https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentient states:
sentient adjective
sen·tient | \ ˈsen(t)-sh(ē-)ənt , ˈsen-tē-ənt \
Definition of sentient
1: responsive to or conscious of sense impressions sentient beings
2: AWARE
3: finely sensitive in perception or feeling
A sentient being is one who perceives and responds to sensations of whatever kind - sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell. Sentient ultimately comes from the Latin verb sentire, which means "to feel" and is related to the noun sensus, meaning "feeling" or "sense." A few related English words are sentiment and sentimental, which have to do with emotions, and sensual, which relates to more physical sensations.

Please keep in mind that it's been documented that the most common cause of death to a mourning dove brought into the life of a human is heart attack. Remember that you are, by nature, a mourning dove's enemy, predator. They perceive you as such from the very second of birth. Sudden movements, loud noises, and the likes can cause horrendous anxieties and terror. Abandonment can cause serious loneliness, especially if there is only one mourning dove in your care.

Doves are NOT "hold-and-cuddle" beings. Although they can be tenacious, capable of self-defence, they are fragile, and other causes of horrific injury and/or death are broken wings or a broken neck. Tempting as it may be to hold this precious Life near and dear, they need to be able to move freely, at any moment. And mourning doves, particularly, by nature, are skittish, proned to take flight in a second. At no time should they be "restrained" unless with extreme care, preferably ONLY for purposes of administering care. Like-wise, they exhibit their own affections by pecking. Best advice: keep your face away from his/hers let you lose an eye.

I hope this “site” helps, in some way, to make their lives better. And not just theirs, but, perhaps, all of Creation's Little Ones... and too, the lives of those whose hearts and souls possess the glorious compassion to extend, to these Little Ones, help in time of need.

Please be sure to read the COPYRIGHT statement.

mourning dove turtle dove

If you have any comments, suggestions, recommendations,
accounts of your own experiences
I hope you'll feel free to send them to:
yonah@gmx.com

*And, if you'd like to be up-dated when the site is up-dated, please send an e-mail.*

AWE
noun
An overwhelming feeling of profound reverence, admiration, respect, etc.,
produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like:
in awe of God.
The feeling we get in the presence of something vast that challenges our understanding of the world.
Archaic. power to inspire fear or reverence.
Obsolete. fear or dread.