As tens of thousands of people watched in St. Peter’s Square today, two white doves released in St. Peter’s Square were attacked by a crow and a seagull.
Small children had joined Pope Francis in the window of the Apostolic Palace to release the doves today, as a peace gesture following the pope’s remarks calling for peace in Ukraine. Civil unrest in that country this week has led to the deaths of anti-government protestors.
I’m afraid peace is hard to come by these days! One of the two doves seems to have escaped from the seagull, losing some feathers but making a break for freedom. The other dove was repeatedly pecked by the large black crow–and there are no reports of its final outcome.
I was reminded of this YouTube video which was trending last Fall, showing the unfortunate fate which befell a baby bunny that had been rescued and raised by a family, then released into the wild, only to be snatched up by a hawk. Watch it if you dare.