Marco Rigatti: Dedicated Bird Rescuer and Advocate Challenges Prejudice
Once, Saint Francis was the symbol of love for birds. But there are those who do not need hagiographies to get to work and help these extraordinary animals, challenging the prejudice of those (see how pigeons are discussed in Arco and ducks in Riva) who would ban them. It is Marco Rigatti, a very active and experienced ornithologist, who lives in San Giacomo and has turned his life into a mission and his attic into an efficient laboratory-clinic for birds.
Activities and commitment for the birds
Birds of every breed, size, and color, from the small goldfinch to the voracious thrush, including various species of parrots and solitary sparrows. Marco Rigatti, a former employee of the Torbole hydroelectric plant (just turned 66), has made bird conservation his mission: even as a young man, when others went into forests with mistletoe, he would hide along trails searching for animals to help.
We meet Marco Rigatti in his attic in San Giacomo. In his modesty, he finds it impossible that a passion for birds interests the public, and he shrugs: “What I do, I only do out of passion; I don’t even like to talk about it openly. Of course, over the years, my reputation has spread, and now people come from afar with birds to bandage or treat…”
In fact, more and more people turn to him on the advice of their veterinarian for treatment or to ask for guidance: “You know, I haven’t studied theory, but after so many years I’ve formed my own ideas about birds, I try to understand their psychology, the reasons for their illness. And so I often manage to heal them!”
Prejudice and care activities
Unfortunately, there is a widespread mentality against birds, as seen in the incidents in Arco, with the pigeon killer, or the struggles on the Riva lakeshore against ducks and swans, accused by bathers of “scratching the surface”. All these things leave the “bird man” feeling sad.
“The only thing I could do,” he says, “was to clear the viscum from the wings of the birds that were reported to me, pigeons and sparrows. Two pigeons stayed here to regrow their feathers, the others were immediately released.”
He expresses satisfaction in having performed a good deed, without any obligation, purely out of free will. Marco sustains his passion with innate sensitivity, regardless of funding or external support. In fact!”
“I do everything at my own expense, but please don’t tell anyone…”
Methods and requests for intervention
This is where the range of daily treatments comes into play, from small birds abandoned in nests or injured by glass, to those affected by insecticides or with broken wings: “Based on the symptoms and my over fifty years of experience, I decide on the intervention, always using appropriate foods…”
“Who brings the birds to you?” “Even the police officers, or WWF, or people from Trento and Bolzano, but also those going on vacation who forget. For example, I currently have a couple of beautiful parrots under my care for over 100 days…”
There are about 300-350 interventions per year, roughly one a day. Marco Rigatti’s compassion contrasts with the consumerist view that sees animals as disposable, as well as birds as a toy to be discarded when tired of them. The lesson from the “bird man” is a lesson in life that goes beyond animals alone.
The greatest satisfaction for Marco Rigatti is not the recognition from those in need or from animal lovers, who are often few, but the gratitude of the very birds themselves.”
The final farewell of the raptors
“When I release a raptor, something extraordinary happens. The kite rises vertically, reaching its flight position, then perches on a nearby tree or high point. Here, it lets out a scream, a ‘sbegalada’, as we say, towards the house that treated it. Finally, it disappears…”
