Mourning Dove Story is a short film, documenting the attempted rescue of a young mourning dove. It was found after a fall, and exhibiting symptoms of paramyxovirus (PMV-1), a virus that affects pigeons, doves, and even chickens (a related strain). Due to the infectious nature of this virus, birds with PMV-1 are often euthanized. We opted to hand-feed him in quarantine, in the hope that he might improve. Although this bird did not survive, we decided to complete the film anyway, because the feeding techniques could be helpful to others in their rehabilitation attempts.
Photographed & Edited by Mike Franzman