11/13/2024
As some of you already know, we lost our beloved Mayonnaise last month. While many of the pictures speak for themselves, weâd still like to say a few words about her. The algorithm might punish this post for being long, but we hope all who loved Mayo will get to see it. Thank you for reading. đ
In the Summer of 2021, a quail breeding facility in Georgia collapsed during a hurricane, releasing thousands of helpless birds into the harsh environment. The majority did not survive long. Activists came together and caught several hundred survivors, and these quails traveled all over the country to find homes. Mayo was one of them. We helped transport about 90 of them from NYC to Ohio, to Michigan, to Wisconsin, and back to Ohio. Some of them found homes as far as Washington!
During our 14 hours of driving, there was a single bird that I (Cam) kept seeing that looked different from the rest. All of the quails were a tan color, but for some reason this one quail was white. Every time I turned my head around to check on them Iâd always spot that one and Iâd make sure she was okay. That drive was the hardest on them but it wasnât easy for us humans, either. Itâs not awesome being stuck in an enclosed space with a hundred pooping birds for that long. Checking in on that one special quail kept me grounded and determined to make it to the finish line. After we made it to our last stop at Farm Bird Sanctuary in WI, we decided to adopt 3 quails ourselves to drive 8 more hours back home to Ohio. Choosing felt weird and impossible so I picked two birds totally at random (Bebe and Skeeter), but I knew I had to pick that white one as the third. Obviously⊠that was Mayonnaise.
Over the years of social media posts Mayo acquired some fans. One of whom, Sandi Swiss, even printed out and framed pictures from some of Mayoâs holiday photoshoots. Bird Bird lovingly memorialized her along with our sweet, late boy Wilde in the Still Water Microsanctuary logo.
Mayo loved her sisters so much. If her sisters were nearby she was happy. When we lost Bebe to cancer in 2022, Mayo seemed to find even more comfort being with Skeeter. Mayo loved cucumbers but they had to have the seedsâŠseedless cucumbers were not acceptable. She also haaaaaaated vet visits more than any animal weâve ever seen. If she wasnât panting with anxiety she was trying to find a way to escape from the evil carrier. We eventually found the best way to keep her calm during vet visits was to pile several layers of heavy blankets on the carrier to make it pitch black. Weâd look ridiculous lugging this giant blanket monstrosity into the vet every 8 weeks for the girlsâ implants. Mayo was well liked at the vets office, even if she didnât like the vets office back. This might sound weird but Mayo also smelled awesome?! During beak and nail trims, Shelia and I would literally hand her back and forth to get a whiff of that magical Mayo scent. OkayâŠthatâs totally weird, but itâs true!
Thereâs no good way to end this. We could go on and on about Mayo forever. I think all we can say is we miss you, Mayonnaise. But weâre so grateful to have had you in our lives. You truly will always be a part of us. We love you.
