The Story of Shrimp, 3 (Original) (2023) Painting by Elodie M. Richard

''My name is Ania and I live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Around 2020 I started spending lots of time with the pigeons at the park near me. I gained a bit of a reputation and became known in the neighborhood for feeding the pigeons and sitting with them for hours.
One day in Spring of 2022, when I was feeding the park flock, a frantic woman came up to me. She spoke mostly Spanish, but the gist of what she said to me was that she found a pigeon she can’t help, and would like to bring it to me because she always sees me at the park with the pigeons. I agreed, and waited. She appeared 15 minutes later with an orange shoe box. Through tears she thanked me for agreeing to help, because she had the pigeon for a day and it wouldn’t eat or anything. I was moved that someone else cared so much for a pigeon. I rushed home with the pigeon and assessed. She weighed only 110 grams or so. Her neck was twisted, and she limped around pathetically, mostly sliding along on her keel using the tops of her wings to push forward. I got her warm, fed and watered. I treated her for worms. For four weeks I fed her and gave her water by positioning her head over a shot glass. This took about two hours every day. She had poor coordination, which slowly improved over the four weeks. For a while I struggled with the course of her treatment, as I knew it could be either PMV or lead poisoning. I’d not seen PMV in my area before, but if it were lead poisoning I wouldn’t be able to help. But if I took her to a rescue, and it was not lead poisoning but actually PMV, she’d have been euthanized. I worried at first that she wouldn’t make it through the night, I worried every day. When she first ate and drank, I was so proud. She perked up immediately and I could see in her eyes how much she wanted to live. I set up a little box for her next to my bed on my window sill. As she got better, preening and trying to fly, she would somehow always end up cuddled next to me under the blanket. I knew it was dangerous and hadn’t seen her move enough to know how she even got there. My partner witnessed her while I was napping, and returned her to her spot— and then she did it again! I was honored it was intentional. I was in a bind financially but wanted to help her with calories and certain vitamins recommended for PMV recovery, so I ended up giving her a product intended for puppies needing to gain weight. I checked all ingredients were bird safe. However, one ingredient was fish oil and she had a fishy odor for a while. When my partner suggested naming her “Shrimp” I thought the odor was the reason. It took me a minute to realize it was inspired by how the PMV caused her neck and tail to turn, which now I think is actually quite funny. Immediately my partner and I knew she was to be part of our family. For weeks after I got Shrimp, I carried a Google-translated note, thanking the woman for bringing Shrimp into my life and letting her know Shrimp was going to be okay. I often joke that woman was an angel who brought Shrimp to me, as I never saw her again. Today, Shrimp is so loved and so spoiled. She is sassy and so funny. The most assertive of my pigeons. Most days I wake up to her standing on my chest looking at me. I don’t know anything of her life before, but she has shown that she remembers bagels. The first time I had a bagel in her presence, she could barely move but immediately navigated towards it. I wonder about her past all the time. She gets a bit under the weather when she lays eggs and becomes a cuddle bug all over again. I admire that she is firm in her boundaries, often bold and fierce, but willing to accept help when she needs it. I love her so much and can’t believe how lucky I am that she came into my life. ''

About the artist who created this piece:
My name is Elodie Richard, I am a French artist based in Central Florida. I am a mother of four rescued pigeons, Sada, Hugo, Mathis (diamond doves) and Juju (Rock Pigeon). Pigeons have thousands of years of history intertwined with ours, they symbolize peace, faith, fidelity, love, hope and happiness. Mankind owes them so much!! The reality of their lives though and how they are unfairly rejected or mistreated by us is not so glorious for our own image as humans. How come such emotionally complex, gentle and smart creatures are nowadays so overlooked after thousands of years of service, being celebrated, honored, loved and praised all around the world and in all cultures/religions? In truth the way we treat pigeons reflect our own humanity, and maybe they are still here in our modern clearly unhappy urban lives to help us retrieve these lost values that make us good humans.
This is why I create a series of portraits that witness their unique beauty despite their handicaps or injuries. These birds incredible stories of survival and rescue deserve to be honored. Each pigeon story will be different.
Let the Pigeons show off their stories and true beauty to the world, and help them get the recognition and respect they deserve.

Related themes

Elodie M Richard Art ProjectCall To PigeonsLimited Series Art PrintsDove ArtBird Art