2002: A New Species "Discovered"
The first documented sperel sighting was recorded on April 22nd 2002, a short distance off the coast of Mulldrum, as seen by Orion Sperelman.
His description of a unique "pale skinned flying creature with reddish plumage that was neither bird nor bat" was accompanied by a very
distant and indistinct photograph which was handed over to scientific authorities for evaluation. Lacking any concrete evidence,
Mr. Sperelman's claim was quickly dismissed as fraudulent, and following a brief period of tabloid notoriety, "The Plague-Ridden Sperel"
(as such under-credentialed publications came to call it) was soon forgotten.
2003: Implications of Underground Treachery
Undeterred by this initial setback, Mr. Sperelman made frequent visits back to the Mulldrum coastline in hopes of a second sighting. As
repeated chance encounters began to seem more and more unlikely, he turned his attention to local records of Biology, Land Use & Development,
and Environmentalism. It was in a business article suspiciously titled "Animal Labor Gives Wings to Local Industry" [1]
that the tragic truth behind the sperel's unnatural presence in Mulldrum became apparent.
The article describes the financial burdens of melmire harvesting, wherein costly machinery frequently requires repeat maintenance and replacement
due to the challenging environment in which it must function.[2]
A "brilliant innovation" is then proclaimed through use of an unclassified winged species, for its "proven adaptability to those conditions that
continually thwart even the most dependable machines."
As the article goes on to explain, "this marvelous little animal is easy to breed and even easier to train, promising a significant revival for
[Mulldrum's] struggling harvesting factories."
Could this "marvelous little animal" be anything other than the sperel? Curiously, the referenced article provides the only known publicized
acknowledgment of forced sperel labor in Mulldrum. Factory representatives deny the use of sperel labor, insisting that they spare no expense in
keeping their facilities up to date with current technology and ahead of the competition through honest business strategies. But Mulldrum's thriving
melmire trade, coupled with the region's conspicuous absence of associated mechanical production and import enterprises that would logically
accompany such vast mining operations certainly corroborates suspicion that the industry's rocketing success relies upon something other than modern
technological efficiencies.
2004: Expedition Into Joldabrun
Would the sperels be forever doomed to a dreary existence of toil and suppression? Additional research uncovered a succession of promising clues as to
the sperels' geographic origin, and so in August of '04, Mr. Sperelman set out on an ambitious journey into the heart of Joldabrun to ascertain the
condition of the species.
2005: Sperels In Peril
As expected, Mr. Sperelman's findings pointed to a devastated and unfavorable future for sperels. On the one hand, the expedition brought back irrefutable
proof that the sperel did exist; but overshadowing this small triumph was the unfortunate fact that wild sperel populations were suffering a
drastic decline.
The sperels' homeland, with its seemingly limitless supply of natural resources, has long presented an attractive environment to industrial endeavors.
And while Joldabrun's mountainous interior regions might remain inaccessible and impervious to outside development, the habitat as a whole has not
escaped the negative impact of years and years of unrestrained environmental abuse. Polluted waterways continue to spread chemical contamination
throughout the land, and deforestation of the outer regions has forced all species to either adapt or perish as they collide with previously
unknown threats and compete for diminishing territory.
It is impossible to estimate just how many of Joldabrun's original inhabitants have gone extinct, but of those that remain, the majority are
now classified as critically endangered.
2006 - 2008: A Period of Discouragement
The earliest on-site perpetrators of Joldabrun's "development" will unabashedly recall days when the crunching approach of their bulldozers and the
felling of a single tree would send "flocks upon flocks of the [sperels]" out from beneath the forest canopy and into the open sky.[3]
Today, it is a most uncommon occurrence that anyone should be so fortunate as to witness even just one solitary sperel soaring the skies of
Joldabrun.
As more of the forest receded and the brooding metal towers of too many factories began rising in place of the lost trees, the factory owners soon
found further opportunity to demonstrate the excess of their disregard for Joldabrun's ecosystem.
The sperels, being dispossessed and discouraged in their search for adequate food and shelter, began returning in multitudes to their degraded land.
At first, the factory workers were instructed to deal with this influx by trapping and exterminating the sperels when possible; but in their ongoing
encounters with (what they initially referred to as) "the winged nuisance", it was soon observed that the sperels possessed a level of intelligence
and dexterity that could be harnessed for the benefit of business and thus should not be taken for granted. Now, "the winged nuisance" became instead
a "profitable surplus", as the sperel's monetary value was shrewdly calculated in relation to its potential as a commodity for the demands of commerce.
A conglomeration hereby formed between the industries in Joldabrun and the harvesting operations in Mulldrum, where it was callously decided that the
sperels' inherent abilities would be most effectively utilized - in the dark, skyless depths of the melmire mines.[4]
Procedures for mass sperel relocation were put into effect, resulting in the species' near-eradication from nature and the ensuing challenges of survival
which to this day continually threaten the few remaining pocket populations of wild sperels.
The wholesale displacement of the sperels from their homeland has long since ended, with Mulldrum's sperel supply now being replenished via its own captive
breeding facilities, but the consequences of so many years of corporate negligence have not yet subsided. In Joldabrun, the prospect of ever restoring
the sperels' number to such a quantity that will allow for their unassisted survival presents a most daunting battle against opposition that has already
gained a monstrously destructive momentum.
2009: The Joldabrun Foundation
An unexpected channel of support revealed itself in July of 2009 when Mr. Sperelman received communication from an anonymous group of factory personnel
employed by one of Mulldrum's more prominent harvesting corporations.[5] This group identified itself simply as a
"purposeful alliance of sperel sympathizers" and claimed the ability to "assist certain sperels in their escape" from servitude.
Intrigued by the presented opportunity to engage in a more daring and direct approach to saving the sperels, Mr. Sperelman quickly allocated resources
to establish what would become The Joldabrun Foundation. The organization initially [6] operated with the fundamental purpose
of providing a sanctuary for refugee sperels, and in November of '09, the first of these refugees arrived safely at the Foundation's headquarters.
2010 Brings A Better Future for Sperels
Through our propitious network of well positioned 'sperel sympathizers', more and more sperels continue to reach the nurturing shelter of The Joldabrun Foundation.
With every sperel saved, our capacity to save more only increases, and now YOU can help Save The Sperels too!
Indeed, there are numerous ways by which you may embrace the cause:
- Join the sperels' facebook page to help advance sperel awareness;
- Attract further attention to the sperels' plight with our comfortable and attractive line of Sperel Apparel;
- Get involved directly! Through our Adopt A Sperel program, you can play an influential role in the liberation of this adorable species by fostering a cute little sperel of your very own.
It is the compassion of our supporters that enables our continuing success in redeeming the sperels from captivity - and if our sperels' playful displays of increasing alertness and activity may serve as an indication of their gratitude, then we may reasonably say "Thank you!" on both our behalf and theirs.
Footnotes:
1) Published October 1981, in the defunct periodical Mulldrum Matters.
2) Melmire, being one of Mulldrum's chief exports, is a valuable gem stone which essentially 'grows' in underground caverns in certain
coastal regions. The particular conditions necessary for optimal melmire production consequently make the biggest gems the more difficult to obtain. Mulldrum's harvesting machinery has historically suffered uncommonly rapid
corrosion due to the dense mineral content of the region's geology. The extensive vertical depth of Mulldrum's mining caverns is another attributed factor in the damage and loss of their factories' mechanical assets.
3) While exploring Joldabrun, Mr. Sperelman interviewed as many factory workers as he could, gaining valuable insight into the specific
forces behind the wild sperel's disappearance. All interviewees requested that their names and corporate titles/affiliations be kept anonymous.
4) Mulldrum has effectively circumvented their aforementioned mining difficulties and drastically reduced their operational expenses
by replacing their mechanical mining fleet with hosts of sperel servants. Sperels show much more resilience to the harsh environment of the melmire mines, and with their small size and capable wings, they can navigate the mines
with much less difficulty than any machine ever could.
5) Many corporations have their hands in Mulldrum's melmire trade, and the corporation to which our benefactors belong remains a
mystery - even to us. That our sperel refugee program continues unimpeded is perhaps an indicator of the sheer enormity of Mulldrum's underground sperel workforce.
6) Following the arrival of our first refugee sperel, it quickly became evident that a factory upbringing and the associated conditioning of relentless labor has instilled too many sperels
with inhibitive instincts that are grossly contrary to those which they would otherwise develop. The Joldabrun Foundation has thus expanded its efforts accordingly, to include programs in instinct rehabilitation and wilderness re-introduction, hoping that our saved sperels can one
day be completely free from the oppressions of their past.
