Everywhere in the world, we can observe and be touched by acts of kindness. People from all walks of life, faiths, and cultures extend themselves beyond the call of duty to help others unconditionally. Through their noble deeds, humanity as a whole is elevated.

To commend virtuous actions and encourage more people to be inspired by their examples, Supreme Master Ching Hai has lovingly created a series of awards, including the Shining World Leadership Award, Shining World Compassion Award, Shining World Hero and Heroine Awards, Shining World Honesty Award, Shining World Protection Award, Shining World Intelligence Award, and Shining World Inventor Award, to recognize some of the most exemplary, generous, caring, and courageous people who walk amongst us.

G'day terrific viewers! Welcome to Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants. Australia is blessed with abundance of native wildlife, so plentiful that a variety of species typically can be found in an Australian family’s backyard. However, for those animals living in urban environments, they are vulnerable to such hazards as power lines and moving vehicles.

Concerned with these issues, a group of compassionate souls from all over the city of Brisbane formed the Brisbane Carers Group, a virtual sanctuary in the heart of the metro which cares for injured, homeless, and orphaned animals of all kinds. Some of these dedicated volunteers work during the day to earn money to care for the animals; others are retirees who devote their days and nights to solely nurturing and looking after our beautiful animal friends.

In this first of our two part series we honor members of this dedicated team of wildlife carers, rescuers and protectors. In recognition of their noble deeds, Supreme Master Ching Hai has honored an individual member of the group, Taryn Mail, as well as the entire group with the Shining World Compassion Award for making a true difference in the lives of Brisbane’s animals and for being wonderful model citizens, not only of Brisbane but also of our planetary home.

Taryn Mail is a vegan homeopathic practitioner who is known as “T-bird” to her friends.

I look after homeless birds and injured birds. I take any unwanted birds that people don’t want that need a home, or lost pets and any injured birds that can’t be released into the wild. They’re all my friends. Some of them don’t leave even though they can, because they’ve got a pretty good life here. I very much treat them as though they are my family.

The compassionate Taryn has had a strong connection with the animals since she was young. She sees looking after animals as her life’s mission.

I found a bird when I was four and looked after them. And ever since then it’s just sort of been continual. I’ve had baby possums that sleep with me in bed, and I’ve had birds that, followed me to school when my mum was driving me and they’d sit on my arm and hang out the window and then they’d fly off again.

They have revealed so much to me as to who they are, and because I’ve been receptive to that, because it’s been going on my whole life, I consider them to be emotional, feeling beings just like any other being on this planet. And if they are in distress, just like if a human is in distress, it’s absolutely my duty to help them out.

Taryn has converted an outdoor shed into an aviary for over 80 birds, and also makes this place her home. She showed us around this incredible bird haven where the wildlife share a cozy, comfortable residence with their loving caregiver.

I really want this to be a place where it’s just healing. Beings come here, whether it's a human or a bird or any animal, to just relax and be in peace and get better. A bed and a place to put clothes and books that's basically my needs and the rest is for them.

Nature also seems to give Taryn a hand in looking after her feathered friends.

I was really lucky that a tree dropped all its branches for me today. I try and put these in here, because there are a few lorikeets that live up in the railings and stuff. So, lorikeets love eucalyptus trees because they rip open the leaves and they spread it all over their bodies, and it actually keeps away parasites.

Taryn’s open bird haven is also a favorite hangout for animals during wintertime.

There’re quite a few birds that come in at nighttime during winter, because they either don't have many feathers or they're a little bit prone to getting sick or their immune system is compromised. So they come and sleep in here at night.

At nighttime a lot of the wild lorikeets actually come in as well and sleep in here. They let themselves in. They have tunnels, little holes in the ceilings. They come in and then they let themselves out again in the morning. So it’s really cool actually, the way they’ve done that.

The ultimate thing is when they can have freedom, true freedom, to come and go as they please. Because then you know that they are choosing to be around you, not being forced to be around you. And, yes that’s really what I wanted.

When Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants return, we will meet more of the lovely winged friends in Taryn’s aviary. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

Welcome back to Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants. We are in Brisbane, Australia celebrating the Brisbane Carers Group that has created a virtual sanctuary in the heart of the city dedicated to promoting the welfare of our noble animal co-inhabitants. Now let’s meet some of Taryn’s intelligent and loveable pigeon friends.

There’s a couple of pigeons here. They were found as babies in a car park, near the city. And they live here. And pigeons are homing birds. So you can let them out during the day and they’ll fly around but they always come home to where they grew up. So they come home every night.

Pigiwigiwoo came in with a lung infection. She was a very skinny, sick bird. She’s a different species than these ones. She’s actually a breed of pigeon that they race. I thought, probably, if I let her go she’d be able to find her way home, because they’re very good at that.

So when I let her out, I opened the door and she did a walk around the block, and sussed everything out, came straight back up the stairs, into the shed, sat down, “I’m home.” And she hasn’t left since. She’s a beautiful bird. She wakes me up every morning. If my alarm goes off and I sleep in, which is every morning, she flies down onto my head and, and pecks at me, “Get up, get up, get up.” And just a beautiful soul. And she’s actually raised a few babies for me.

With years of experience in caring for animals, Taryn has discovered the best way to bring birds back to good health.

They need love and affection.

I try and get them to trust me as early on as possible, because then I can make them feel like they're loved and wanted. And that really speeds up their healing process. When they're kept in cages and away from you, they don't really do that well.

We do everything together. I sleep with them, I eat with them, and very much incorporate them as part of my life. I do talk to them. It's a communication that involves body language and gut feeling. And I very much honor that feeling. So they find it easy to know what's going on with me, but I have to center myself, and really listen to what they're saying.

Taryn shares why she became a vegan.

I was vegetarian for almost all my life, and then I went vegan. The reason was actually because I was told a story about dairy farms and things like that. As I've gotten older and realized more and more how much a mother feels towards her baby, because that's how I feel towards birds.

How affected cows must be, what happens to them so that they can give us milk, when we don't need it. I rescue ants; I rescue plants; I rescue everything. Why would I then put another living thing through that torture for something that's just a pleasurable experience to eat?

Vegan food is just amazing, there's nothing like it on the planet. It makes you feel great. You feel energized. You don't have that heavy feeling.

On behalf of Supreme Master Ching Hai, our Association members in Brisbane presented the prestigious Shining World Compassion Award to Taryn, along with a selection of Supreme Master Ching Hai’s DVDs and books including the #1 international best-sellers “The Dogs In My Life” and “The Noble Wilds.”

Taryn also received a check for AUD$5990 from Supreme Master Ching Hai to help further her high-minded mission of safeguarding our avian co-inhabitants. The following is an excerpt from a warm letter to Taryn from Supreme Master Ching Hai.

Dear Taryn, it is with great pleasure and gratitude that we present to you the “Shining World Compassion Award.” You and many other volunteers have united as part of the greater Brisbane area to rescue injured, stray or sick animals.

Each caretaker specializes in one or more species, getting calls from local councils, vets, or the public about animals in distress. As a vegan, homeopathic and spiritual practitioner, you are well gifted to comfort our feathery friends.

Thank you Taryn for uplifting our world with your inspirational example of love in action. We hereby applaud and celebrate the compassionate deeds of Taryn Mail, angel with a heart soft as a feather. With Great Honour, Love and Blessings, the Supreme Master Ching Hai.”

Thank you so much. This has changed my life in more ways that I can even describe. Not only my life but the life of so many animals that I look after. It has improved their quality of life. It will continue to improve their quality of life. (It) just means that they are able to have a better lifestyle, because I’ll be building a big aviary for them with it. They get more food, better quality food, fresh food.

It means I don’t have to worry about where the next cent is coming from. And it’s enabled me to take on more of them. So I don’t even know how to thank you, but thank you so much. Thank you so much from myself and from all of us and from all the animals as well that we look after.

We send our heartfelt gratitude to Taryn and all other wildlife carers in Brisbane for their boundless heart and selfless dedication in looking after our vulnerable animal friends.

Splendid viewers, thank you for your company on today’s show. Please join us again tomorrow on Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants for Part 2 of our program featuring the presentation of the Shining World Compassion Award to other members of the Brisbane Carers Group. Coming up next is Enlightening Entertainment, after Noteworthy News. May love always be with you.