October 19, 2009: Karen Windsor–Addressing the Crisis of Unwanted Parrots
The New England Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary: Addressing the Crisis of Unwanted Parrots
Trying to decide on the best way to approach this article and to impress upon people the gravity of the unwanted bird problem, I dove into my e-mail archives, intending to document a sampling of the surrender requests received by Foster Parrots in numbers that can exceed 1 to 2 dozen inquiries per week. In effect, I overwhelmed myself.
I’m hoping you can help me. I have a yellow-collared macaw named Bo that I’ve had for over 24 years. And as much as it breaks my heart, I really need to find a new home forBo. I have a small infant at home and the bird is very territorial when it comes to me. We have to keep him caged up and I’m afraid once the baby is able to run around that he may get bitten. I also know that especially now Bo really doesn’t get the attention he needs or deserves.
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Hi Karen, I know how busy you are…I hope this refreshes your memory. I have 2 Macaws, a Yellow Nape and Citron Cookatoo I must give up because I’m losing my house and moving into a studio apt. You said you’d work on placing or keeping my babies…I have nowhere to turn. I’ve had some of these guys for 20yrs. I’m devastated. Can you please help me?I have 3 parrots I need to know if you can take them. I am moving and can’t take them. I have had them for 12 yrs.
Relocating from Rockland, Massachusetts to our large, new 15 acre property in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, earlier this year, we arrived with a resident flock of close to 300 parrots and a small array of other exotic refugees from the pet industry to establish the New England Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary, a permanent care sanctuary project of Foster Parrots, Ltd.
Foster Parrots was established approximately 18 years ago by Founder and CEO, Marc Johnson, and was formally incorporated as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization in 1999. Since our incorporation 9 years ago we have provided rescue and adoption services to over a thousand birds throughout New England. We now turn away nearly 1500 surrender requests each year. Foster Parrots is only one parrot rescue organization out of hundreds in operation across the country, and we are only one of the hundreds of parrot rescue organizations across the country that are full to capacity and fielding surrender requests far beyond what can possibly be handled.
Actual bird numbers in America are difficult to establish. In the U.S. Pet Ownership Demographic Sourcebook published in 2002 by the AVMA reported 10 million pet birds in American homes in 2001. The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) indicated 17.3 million birds in 6.7 million households in a 2003/2004 profile. In a 1996 Pet Industry Joint Advisory Committee (PIJAC) survey that included breeder information, however, the number of captive birds in the U.S. was established at 40 million. That’s a pretty wide spread. Suffice it to say, America’s third most popular pet is an exotic wild animal whose life span can range between 25 and 80 years or more, depending on the species, and whose complex care requirements over the long term exceed the abilities of the average pet consumer. Unofficial statistics indicate that parrots are amongst the most often re-homed and relinquished of all companion animals with many larger parrots seeing 3 or more homes before reaching the age of 10.
Hello Karen, I have a 15-year old Moluccan cockatoo who needs a good home. I took him in 18 months ago from a woman who had raised him but no longer had time for him. Somewhere along the way Bugsy developed a screaming problem and a deep hatred of men…
Marc, Thank you for speaking with me last Thursday. As requested here is the picture of Emerald, our male blue fronted amazon that we would like to place into a better home situation….We purchased him in 1999. We are sadly his 3rd owner already and was told he was approx. 8 years old when we got him. He was a hand fed bird and has absolutely NO FEAR of humans- which has been part of the problem since he has become steadily more aggressive in the years we have owned him…
The question is not whether or not a problem exists, but at what point do the larger national animal welfare and pet care communities start to acknowledge the size of the problem. We have the opportunity, right now, to proactively address a growing crisis that, fueled by mass-production commercial breeding programs and by an industry that opposes legal regulation yet fails to self-regulate, not only threatens but promises to rival dog and cat over-population problems. Funding to help deal with the overwhelming numbers of unwanted parrots is virtually non-existent, as is legislation to help govern the Avicultural Industry whose traditional breeding practices have been proven to actually undermine the ability of parrots to develop into psychologically healthy, successful pets. The national animal welfare community and charitable foundations continue to champion dog and cat causes while the unwanted parrot problem seems to defy concern. As a result, the parrot rescue community operates on the brink of self-destruction. Vast numbers of parrot rescue organizations are small, obscure facilities that lack operational resources, typically operate beyond their means and suffer without realistic operational protocol or veterinary support. Incidents of burn-out and organizational collapse are high. It is a field in which there is aggressive competition for the tiny pool of financial support that is available, and this in turn serves to undermine solidarity and any hope of cooperative national efforts to address parrot issues. But at the same time we cannot bear to watch one another fail. Because the failure of each successive rescue organization means that hundreds more homeless parrots will be cast to the wind, and those organizations that remain standing are simply unable to handle the fall-out. One of Foster Parrots’ largest rescue events took place between November 2006 and September 2007 when we recovered a total of 47 birds from a failed Cape Cod based Parrot Rescue facility. Other rescue organizations in danger of collapse hold hundreds of birds. We nervously eye several other rescue groups at risk in the Northeast and Southeast, knowing that neither Foster Parrots nor any of the other larger, reputable rescue organizations in the U.S. have the strength or resources to be a safety net for these birds. With an operating budget of just over $200,000 per year, Foster Parrots is one of the country’s strongest parrot rescue and advocacy organizations. But the number of avian organizations operating at this level can literally be counted on one hand. And the fact is, Foster Parrots, too, struggles on a day to day, week to week, month to month basis to stay in operation.
Is your organization able to take in my birds? If not are there other organizations you can recommend that might be able to help us? Or if you can only take some of the birds, are there other groups that might be willing to also take some and that share a similar philosophy to your own? I have 2 Moluccan Cockatoos, 2 Umbrellas, 2 Mealy Amazons, Greenwing, Military and Blue and Gold Macaws, A variety of other Amazons: Yellow Crowns, Panamas, Blue Fronts, Double Yellows, a Red Front and one Yellow Nape….
Hi, I desperately need direction and regret to say I need help placing my family’s cockatoo. Her behavior is out of control and our neighbors have complained…
Dear Marc…Tyler is an eclectus male of unknown age… I adopted him from a shelter. He picked up a bad habit of screaming and it drove my man out of his mind…
Parrot purchases are all too often made by uninformed consumers with unrealistic expectations of the time and effort that will be commanded by a pet parrot, particularly in regards to the number of years they will be expected to honor their commitment to that bird. We have found, however, that many people do in fact invest a respectable amount of time in researching parrot care requirements and species characteristics in order to make informed choices. Unfortunately, most of the parrot care information available to consumers is geared toward generating pet parrot sales and supporting the industry. What consumers are not being told is that the purchase of an unweaned or baby bird does not guarantee a close and loving life-long relationship with a parrot, that a sexually mature bird is often an aggressive and territorial bird, that a high and consistent level of social activity and interaction is a mandatory requirement in parrot guardianship, and that aggression, feather destruction and excessively loud vocalizations are common and persistent problems experienced by parrot guardians. They are also not informed that some of the leading reasons for parrot relinquishments are chronic lung disease and allergy issues directly related to the presence of birds in the home.
I have a 4 year old military macaw named Spike. I love this bird – but I am getting more and more concerned that he might damage me. Spike bites without warning…
Hi Marc, Thanks for meeting up this past Tuesday and for your help with Max…His biggest problem is that he wants to be with someone 24/7 and when he doesn’t get his way, will use his lungs to try and get the attention he wants through long screaming bouts.
My sister -in-law currently has over 200 birds. They are mainly cockatiels and parakeets. She has 1 to 6 birds in a cage. Due to circumstances beyond our control, the home she is living in has to be sold. She will have to get rid of the birds. We are trying to find a way that the birds do not have to be put down…
Understanding that few birds actually live their full lives in their original homes, and that many birds are re-homed endlessly throughout their lives, Foster Parrots has established the New England Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary in Rhode Island for the purpose of providing permanent sanctuary care to unadoptable and retiring parrots and to other exotic wild animals that suffer as pets and in captive situations. Our focus on this segment of the unwanted bird problem stops the cycle of re-homing for these particular “domestically challenged” birds.
Shortly after settling into our new Hopkinton location, we were joined by Rhode Island veterinarian and avian specialist, Hank Wietsma. This collaboration represented a marriage of similar philosophies and a validation of what we have all come to know through our work and our relationships with parrots: these creatures do not belong in cages; parrots should not be pets. Hank’s contributions are critical components to the work that lies ahead. Addressing the parrot crisis is going to require the participation of many committed groups – including the veterinary community – and an approach that includes advocacy and education, careful adoption programs, permanent care accommodations for unadoptables, and legal regulation of the industry. When you enter the New England Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary, you are met by a wall of deafening sound. And then you see the birds. So far, 7,000 square feet of space occupied by unwanted birds and another 5,000 square feet under development. Visiting Foster Parrots forces you to look at the problem. From where we stand, it is a problem that cannot continue to be ignored. Euthanasia of healthy, unwanted parrots is happening.
Parrots are the new dog.
I will leave you with this, an e-mail message that was sent to a fellow rescue organization by a woman in regards to her pet lovebird:
I went to put a treat cup in her cage, and she bit me, one more time, and one time too many….So, I finally made a decision, one, totally out of character for me and I did the unthinkable. I was very seriously going to do the 2 hour trip up to [your rescue facility] and then the 2 hour trip back, but I came to realize that she just wasn’t worth it… so I took her cage out, opened the gate, and let her fly out. Mother Nature can now take care of her……she did stay in the trees in our yard, I could hear her most of the day, and it was like she was thumbing her nose at us………so I told her to fly down to the beach, and then just keep on flying East till she hits West Africa……..good bye and good riddance….
