Caring for 700+ parrots is a never-ending job. The dedicated staff and volunteers of the World Parrot Refuge start every morning at 7am and work continuously until 8pm, mainly with feeding and cleaning. It's a never-ending cycle of activity as I hope this two-part video will illustrate. And of course there are lots of winged "helpers" ...

Here is "All In A Day's Work (part 2)

Caring for 700+ parrots is a never-ending job. The dedicated staff and volunteers of the World Parrot Refuge start every morning at 7am and work continuously until 8pm, mainly with feeding and cleaning. It's a never-ending cycle of activity as I hope this two-part video will illustrate. And of course there are lots of winged "helpers" ...

Here is "All In A Day's Work (part 1)

This article is part of a new series on parrot nutrition, using information kindly provided by our sister organization, Phoenix Landing, in North Carolina. We hope this will help you make the best nutritional choices for your feathered friends.

Vitamin A is very important for your parrot!

The darker the flesh (not the skin) of the vegetable or fruit, the higher the carotene content. It is carotene that converts into vitamin A when metabolized by the digestive system. Veggies can be provided in their raw state, but are sometimes more digestible if cooked (steamed or baked). However, be aware that overcooking can destroy vitamin content.

Green Vegetable sources of Vitamin A

Dandelion greens, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, kale, broccoli, water cress, chicory, parsley, green peppers, fennel, arugula, romaine, brussel sprouts, beet greens, cabbage, and alfalfa.

Yellow-Orange Vegetable sources of Vitamin A

Yams, sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, hubbard squash, acorn squash, hot peppers, red peppers, pumpkin.

Fruit Sources of Vitamin A

Mango, peaches, nectarines, apricots, persimmon, cantaloupe, raw plantain, papaya, sour red cherry, pomegranates.

It's a pleasure to share this wonderful video with you, made by one of our special volunteers, Gene Gapsis. She takes us into the operations of the World Parrot Refuge, illuminating the many reasons why we exist, and explaining why this is a place worth preserving for the future of our flocks. Thanks, Gene!

For more information about why birds do not thrive in captivity, read Wendy's great article here, and be sure to share the video with all your friends!

By Wendy Huntbatch

Many years ago, when we first opened our doors to a Lesser Sulfur Crested Cockatoo named Little Charley – who needed a home because his owner was going into permanent care for post polio syndrome – Horst and I had no idea what the future would bring. As the years passed, and more and more birds arrived, we kept expanding the facilities in our home, and then moved on to building the free-flight parrot houses on our farm in Abbotsford. When we moved to Coombs just under four years ago, after an outbreak of bird flu in the commercial poultry industry, we had 400 parrots. We built the current 23,000 sq foot facility as we could see that we had already outgrown the 10,000 sq feet we had in Abbotsford. Thank goodness for foresight! Since arriving in Coombs, we have increased our number of residents by a further 300, and I am sure this year that we can expect at least another 100 parrots who need a Home For Life.

What is behind this influx of birds? Homes are getting smaller; people are working longer hours; and the grandparents who have had parrots for years are moving into care facilities where parrots are not welcome. When faced with these situations, people who currently own parrots look to place them in a safe haven: a place they feel confident will provide the proper care for their beloved friend. Many other people purchase a parrot for a pet, especially cockatoos, only to realize that the parrot is a highly intelligent living being and that flightless incarceration is an unkind situation. When we understand that these living beings have needs of their own, our minds are opened. Let me share a few insights with you.

Read more »

Volunteers Ann Neil and Margaret Trotter recently represented the World Parrot Refuge at the Brant Wildlife Festival

This year's woodcarver's competition featured some of our parrots. They did quite well, judging by the ribbons!

The carvings sprang from a presentation Wendy Huntbach gave to the Vancouver Island Woodcarver's Club.

If your group would be interested in Wendy's talk, aided by some feathered friends of course, please contact us for details.

Larry is another one of our volunteer group. Lately he's been assembling the frames for the new Macaw flight cages:

Getting there...

Dixie is popular with the Parrots, as you can see. She's one of many volunteers who help keep the refuge going. Currently, she's planning to develop the outdoor grounds into an organic garden that would become part of the World Parrot Refuge "experience." As well it would be a source for some of our bird's nutritional needs. (Seven hundred parrots go through a lot of food - more on that soon).

Dixie is looking for a volunteer master gardener who would like to help her with this project ... any takers out there?

Refuge volunteer, Alex, presents two more of his hand-crafted bird toys to WPR founder, Wendy Huntbatch:

Great Canadian Casinos presents "seed" money for WPR Avian Hospital

A group of us gathered at noon today (22 March 2008) in the Special Needs Unit of the Refuge for an exciting event. Howard Blank, on behalf of the Great Canadian Casinos Nanaimo, presented Wendy Huntbatch, founder of the Refuge, with a cheque for $11,111.48! Many of our beloved residents gathered around to see if they could help to examine the cheque, but fortunately nobody shredded it to build a nest!

This incredible donation is actually "found" money, that is, unclaimed money that is collected at casino venues and saved for charitable donations. Great Canadian Casinos continues to be an incredible supporter of the Refuge, and Howard Blank's personal support has made a world of difference to all the parrots of the World Parrot Refuge. This money will be the "seed" money to start building the WPR Avian Veterinary Hospital, and brings the dream of full medical services on-site closer to reality. Thank you to everyone who came out to show support, and thank you to the Great Canadian Casinos Nanaimo!

Please click on the thumbnails below to learn how you can help some special birds have a home for life through our "Virtual Adoption" program! More stories coming soon!

Birds who are now partly sponsored, thank you!

Birds who are now fully sponsored, thank you!

"The World Parrot Refuge is a true sanctuary where parrots live out their lives in a loving, spacious and happy environment under the guidance of extraordinarily caring people. The many visitors destined to pass through the refuge will come to understand that parrots are not toys or trophies, but beings with needs and emotions as real as our own."

– Rosemary Low (author of more than 30 books on parrots)

"This is, in a word, a great place and these miraculous creatures deserve no less, but few places can deliver it this well. It is, indeed, 'world class'."

– Stewart Metz (author and Director of the Indonesian Parrot Project), after his visit at the Grand Opening of the Refuge on August 13, 2005.