Birds Are Sacred Innocent Lives
Please read our short stories "Understanding Aliens, Does She Dream and Fallen Angel."Please make your tax deductable donation to help us save parrots and cockatoos in North San Diego County. The need is great and we have much to do!
"MISERY" Photo taken at a local pet store.
We can't let babies like "Misery" (pictured above) continue unprotected!
The Chloe Sanctuary for Parrots and Cockatoos is a parrot and cockatoo rescue whose sole purpose is to provide quality care and love for homeless and parrots with special needs. Because of domestic breeding that began in 1993 when the importation of exotic birds was banned the number of unwanted parrots and cockatoos has skyrocketed. Once just a rarity, now many birds are sold to those who have no idea just what a difficult job caring for a parrot truly is.
They seem to the average onlooker just a different kind of pretty pet that somehow miraculously can imitate our language. Yet, they are highly sensitive and intelligent animals and the world they are prepared to live in is vastly different from ours.
As an example is the Umbrella Cockatoo. One of our biggest problems with Umbrella Cockatoos in captivity is the heritage that lives in them; a heritage that cannot be bred away. They are built to run around like a pack of destructive teenagers in a world of trees that cover the sky. In their homeland they greet the sunrise from the tops of the rainforest and descend with thunderous voices to forage alongside one another, in flocks of hundreds. What runs through their veins we can never understand; yet we must try. On the other side of the world from here live a free alien society of hearts with wings. They no know seasons, no cold at night, and no air without water. Their lives are closer to those lived by fish than those lived by us. To them, our lonely world must seem like the dark side of the moon.
Because they are beautiful and exotic they seem just the right special pet for those who want a change from the regular fare. Yet, prospective buyers do not know vital facts about their care and needs. Rarely does a buyer understand that some parrots and cockatoos live for up to 80 years or that they mate for life, whether to another bird or to a human being. The umbrella cockatoo, for example, is often described as loveable and cuddly. It has been said that they would like nothing more than to be "skin grafted to their owners chest." No human truly understands the commitment that these birds make to us and what they what they expect in return. From experience I can tell you it is more than most of us can provide. Left in isolation in a small cage for hours at a time they will eventually break down and begin to pull their feathers out, or screetch loudly for hours at a time. The plucking can lead to mutilation and death. Their call is so loud that it can lead to hearing impairment.
“Humans have these really big brains, but guess what, parrots have really big brains too. In fact, if you overlay a graph of brain size to body mass for parrots on top of one for non-human primates, they sit in a perfect line,” says Dr. Andrew Iwaniuk, an NSERC-sponsored postdoctoral reseacher in the psychology department at the University of Alberta. -- quoted from The National Science and Research Council of Canada Journal.
“I'm hoping that at some point people will understand the implications this may have for people keeping parrots at home,” says Dr. Iwaniuk. “In a lot of areas of Canada no one's allowed to have primates as pets. But anyone can go off the street and buy a Macaw that ends up being psychotic after two years because it’s stuck in a cage the size of a refrigerator.” |
The concerns of Dr.Iwaniuk have been echoed in the communities of behaviorists, zoologists and veterinarians. It is in fact the consensus.
For one reason or another most human caretakers give them up. The causes are many and varied: divorce, allergic reactions, moving, illness, death, and so on. High maintenance takes on a new meaning in caring for these creatures and that takes its toll. With sanctuaries and rescues filled to overflowing many birds are now euthanized because no homes can be found for them.
Take a look at some of the poor conditions taken at a local bird store.
Corn and sunflower seed are cheap.
This is a terrible diet for parrots. If the price must go up on the birds--it's a price I think we are willing to pay for their health and happiness.
Unchewable wood toys are like Christmas ornaments.
Much like a two-year old baby, parrots require a great deal of interaction and destroyable toys. This is an example of padding the "cell" to make it look liveable. What parrot would find these interesting?
The site below shows the worst horrors that can happen to our beloved creatures. There is much truth here but it is painful to read. If you are considering a cockatoo as a companion please read this website. If, and only if, you can deal with everything they need to be happy, then find one who needs help at a rescue and do so. It is difficult but rewarding work.
Please don't purchase a bird. There are many rescues and sanctuaries where you can re-home a baby that needs your love. One sanctuary told us that they refuse 5 birds a day average. Can you find it in your heart to study and learn about these creatures and give them a home?