World Parrot Refuge

Virtual Adoption – Beau
Beau’s story: Beau is one of a group of parrots who arrived from a woman who loves her birds and has kept them in flights, not little cages, all their lives. Now however, her health is not good and she has to move to a smaller home – an apartment we believe – so unfortunately her parrots cannot go with [...]
Virtual Adoption – the little Cockatiel group
These sweet Cockatiels – Pearl, Prudent, Prudence, Mandy, and Specks – are part of a group of parrots who arrived from a woman who loves her birds and has kept them in flights, not little cages, all their lives. Now however, her health is not good and she has to move to a smaller home – an apartment we believe [...]
Virtual Adoption – Congo and Conga
Congo and Conga’s story: Congo and Conga are part of a group of parrots who arrived from a woman who loves her birds and has kept them in flights, not little cages, all their lives. Now however, her health is not good and she has to move to a smaller home – an apartment we believe – so unfortunately her [...]
Virtual Adoption – Joe
UPDATE: Many thanks to Margaret C. who has sent Joe a donation “in memory of Sydney who was a sweet little Australian King Parrot”. Margaret, thank you for your kind gift to Joe. Joe’s story: Joe is one of a group of parrots who arrived from a woman who loves her birds and has kept them in flights, not little cages, [...]
Virtual Adoption – Kiwi
Kiwi’s story: Kiwi is one of a group of parrots who arrived from a woman who loves her birds and has kept them in flights, not little cages, all their lives. Now however, her health is not good and she has to move to a smaller home – an apartment we believe – so unfortunately her parrots cannot go with [...]
Virtual Adoption – Dayas and Tata
Dayas and Tata’s story: Dayas and Tata are part of a group of parrots who arrived from a woman who loves her birds and has kept them in flights, not little cages, all their lives. Now however, her health is not good and she has to move to a smaller home – an apartment we believe – so unfortunately her [...]
Virtual Adoption – Max
Max’s story: Max is one of a group of parrots who arrived from a woman who loves her birds and has kept them in flights, not little cages, all their lives. Now however, her health is not good and she has to move to a smaller home – an apartment we believe – so unfortunately her parrots cannot go with [...]
Virtual Adoption – Alberta 36 #19
We’re thrilled that Kara L. of Manitoba has joined the For The Birds campaign, and is sponsoring these sweet cockatiels. We are truly grateful for your support, Kara. Update: Many thanks to Catherine M. & Allan C. of BC for sending these Alberta 36 cockatiels a generous donation. Thank you so much! The story of the Alberta 36: At the end of [...]
Virtual Adoption – Alberta 36 #17
Many thanks to Diane M. of Ontario, who has sent a donation for our care! Thank you so much, Diane. Our names are Chaos, Mayhem, and Riot! UPDATE: Thank you so much to Pat O. of BC, who is sponsoring these sweet birds for $15/month! Thank you very much, Pat! The story of the Alberta 36: At the end of [...]
Virtual Adoption – Alberta 36 #15
Thank you so much, Vicky K. of BC for partially sponsoring me! I have such a great name now, too: Kennedy. It’s so good to be loved and able to be a bird. Thank you so much. Update #2: Great day! Debbie V. of BC is fully sponsoring me! Thank you so much, Debbie! The story of the Alberta 36: At [...]
Virtual Adoption – Alberta 36 #14
Thank you, Margaret C., for partially sponsoring me! I now have such a special name: Angel! Oh boy, lucky day! Thank you Connie L. of Victoria for sending me a donation. Your support is truly appreciated! The story of the Alberta 36: At the end of May 2011, the World Parrot Refuge offered sanctuary to 36 parrots from Alberta. The [...]
Virtual Adoption – Alberta 36 #13
Woo hoo! Kelly R. of BC has partially sponsored me! I’m so happy: thank you, Kelly! She’s also given me my name: Elliot. It’s so good to be home and loved, and it’s through the kindness of people like Kelly that I am able to do so here at the Refuge. The story of the Alberta 36: At the end of [...]
Virtual Adoption – Alberta 36 #12
Many thanks to Cassie H. of BC who has partially sponsored me! Cassie has given me the name Zegen, which means “blessing” in Dutch. Such a lovely gift, and we sincerely thank you, Cassie, for your support of the work we do. The story of the Alberta 36: At the end of May 2011, the World Parrot Refuge offered sanctuary [...]
Virtual Adoption – Alberta 36 #10
The Bernal and Gutierrez family (Andrea, Dubert and Martin) has virtually adopted and provided a name for #10 of the Alberta 36! The family has chosen the name Carlitos, which was the original Spanish name given to their Green Cheek Conure (who now goes by Carlita). Andrea and Dubert decided to virtually adopt at the World Parrot Refuge in exchange [...]
Virtual Adoption – Alberta 36 #9
Thank you, Becci from Vancouver, for partially sponsoring me! I now have such a cool name: Berber! The story of the Alberta 36: At the end of May 2011, the World Parrot Refuge offered sanctuary to 36 parrots from Alberta. The birds arrived in terrible shape and in filthy cages. They likely hadn’t been cleaned for months. The Refuge has [...]
Virtual Adoption – Alberta 36 #7
Thank you very much, Brandon S. of Oregon, for sending a donation to help this Alberta 36 bird! Your gift is sincerely appreciated. Brandon has bestowed the name Dante on this bird, after his late conure who had the same name. UPDATE: Brandon has virtually adopted Dante! Brandon, thank you so much for your continued support and dedication to Dante. [...]
Virtual Adoption – Alberta 36 #5
Thank you, Angel H., for sponsoring me! My name is Indy! (Indira if I’m a girl…sometimes humans can’t tell!) The story of the Alberta 36: At the end of May 2011, the World Parrot Refuge offered sanctuary to 36 parrots from Alberta. The birds arrived in terrible shape and in filthy cages. They likely hadn’t been cleaned for months. The [...]

Welcome

Posted by Jane at 11:00 pm No Responses »

Aug 092006

The World Parrot Refuge is an educational facility that provides a “Home for Life” for previously owned pet parrots, and is operated by the “For the Love Of Parrots Refuge Society” (FLOPRS). Click here for visitor information, including opening hours, admission prices and how to get to the Refuge.

The Refuge has over 800 parrots, a dedicated team of staff and volunteers, and 23,000 square feet of heated indoor free-flight aviaries with plans for 16,000 square feet of easily accessed outdoor flights for the warmer months. The Refuge opened to the public for educational purposes on June 11, 2005.

For answers to some commonly asked questions, visit our FAQ.

Global News visits the Refuge

Posted by Cheryl at 7:26 pm 1 Response »

Apr 222012

The refuge recently had the team from Global News visit. They write:

Parrots are among the most intelligent birds in the world. As a pet, there is something undeniably remarkable about them. But the woman with the largest collection in Canada says they shouldn’t be in North America—and they belong in the wild.

Wendy Huntbatch is the owner of the world parrot refuge on the east coast of Vancouver Island–A home to over 800 unwanted, abandoned or abused parrots in North America.

Wendy says these birds belong in the wild–and she’s hoping her message is strong enough it’ll put her out of the parrot rescue business.

You can also view some photos they took here.

Refuge Photos Galore!

Posted by Cheryl at 12:04 pm 2 Responses »

Apr 182012

On Saturday, April 14, I spent a number of hours photographing the daily goings-on of the staff and volunteers, the many new signs and posters that are up with information about how to keep a parrot happy and healthy (provided by Phoenix Landing), and most importantly of all, some of the many feathered residents.

I will admit that my heart was stolen by Tilly, a sweet Congo African Grey with only a few feathers left, who came to the Refuge in January. You can read about her story here. I was pleased to see a few red tail feathers peeking out! She’s a feisty, happy, bright little bird. I just wanted to snuffle her fluff!

Please enjoy a “day in the life” of the Refuge. I did!

The birds!

There were many rustic tree stands and branches throughout the Refuge to give the birds some natural chewing “toys” (in addition to the many cardboard boxes they also enjoy destroying). The staff made the tree-perches and chew-branches from trees cut down out the back. The birds obviously enjoyed them very much: there were many chew marks to be seen.

The Blue and Gold Macaw in some of the photos was endearing: he’s alteast 60 years old. When I first spotted him, he was snoozing on a cage towards the back; then I saw him snacking on a strawberry on the floor; finally he was towards the front having a snooze on top of another cage. He was able to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

I brought chop sticks with me; Tilly quite liked hers until she gave it up to sample a bean, and then snack on some broccoli. It was also good to see Lucky Loo, who was being kept company by her new friend, Nelson, a 40+ year old wild-caught Amazon. I found Batman being a naughty monkey-bird pulling paper from under Caesar’s cage. Caesar was oblivious, contentedly talking to himself above.

Some visitors to the Refuge also agreed to pose for photos with birds they had met. Brianne, a young lady from Edmonton, told me she always makes time to visit the Refuge. She hopes to bring more awareness to people in Edmonton about the plight of parrots, and of the Refuge.

60 photos – 3 pages

[Show as slideshow]

Other photos from the day:

Meet Some Staff

Education at the Refuge

Meet some of the staff

Posted by Cheryl at 12:03 pm 1 Response »

Apr 182012

Sid is the very model of the cleaning that goes on every day at the Refuge: the whole time I was there (5 hours) he was making certain that the Special Needs area was spic ‘n’ span (though he did take a break for a photo with a feathered friend). He is but one of the many dedicated folks at WPR making sure things are kept tidy for the birds. The cleaning never ends and the staff never quits!

You can see Fred mopping the Grey’s aviary, Sasha and Stephanie taking time out to give some love to the birds, Wendy sporting her new “Parrot Wig”, and Cody showing off his branch-cleaning skills (in the Conure aviary). About a dozen metal containers with tight lids housed the seeds and nuts in the kitchen (Fred shows these off), where the ever-constant laundry was being done. Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, which have to be cut up and prepared daily, were being distributed throughout the facility.

27 photos – 2 pages

[Show as slideshow]

Other photos from the day:

Meet the Birds

Education at the Refuge

Education at the Refuge

Posted by Cheryl at 12:02 pm 2 Responses »

Apr 182012

Here are some of the informational and educational posters around the Refuge.

Many of these have information about what birds eat and how to keep them happy in a home, like ideas like foraging and play. There are also species-specific informational posters throughout WPR to teach people about the various types of birds living at the Refuge, as well as from where they originate. There’s the self-guided-tour board and a number of warning signs throughout to keep both humans and parrots safe. Rosie the Macaw did a stand-up job making sure I read the posters in the informational display. Thank you, Rosie!

Horst was busy outside putting up some more of the educational banners along the walkway up to the entrance. There will be about a dozen or so when he’s finished.

Wendy told me that there will be two new outdoor flights being built, as soon as the weather is amenable. The posts and fencing was already there, now all that’s needed is a few days of sun to get them up!

22 photos – 2 pages

[Show as slideshow]

Other photos from the day:

Meet the Birds

Meet Some Staff

A video visit to the Refuge

Posted by Cheryl at 4:18 pm 1 Response »

Mar 202012

Credit: Shawn Pigott | Fox and Bee

How lovely! We received the following email from a recent visitor to the Refuge:

Hi there!

A few weeks ago, my family and I visited the World Parrot Refuge and had an amazing time. We were very impressed by the generosity of spirit we saw, with people volunteering their time and energy to give the birds a better, more comfortable, and healthy life.

My husband [Shawn Pigott] is a videographer, and he’s currently doing a project called “52 Weeks”, in which he releases a new video every Wednesday for a year, set to music that he has composed and played. For this week, he used footage that he took at the World Parrot Refuge, and we wanted to share the video with you. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed visiting the Refuge.

We hope that it intrigues people, sends them to your website, and inspires them to treat animals with love and respect.

Best wishes,
Kim

Here is Kim’s blog post about their visit, and Shawn’s blog post.

We love it! Thank you so much, Kim! Many thanks to both you and your husband, for capturing the Refuge so beautifully.

Thank you, Cathy!

Posted by Cheryl at 6:12 pm No Responses »

Mar 042012

Cathy Carroll from Alberta has been writing to thank our donors who donate through Canada Helps for a very long time now – and she has done a fantastic job.

She has struggled to do this enduring a lot of pain – and didn’t say a word until she was unable to do it anymore. The pain in her wrist and hand is so bad it looks as though she will have to have surgery. We want to say a special thank you for all the incredible work she has done to help our birds. Wendy will continue where Cathy left off in November.

Cathy did a great job and we wish her success and freedom from pain! Thank you so much for your support, Cathy.

Virtual Adoption – Zula

Posted by Cheryl at 5:29 pm 1 Response »

Mar 042012

Zula, a Congo African Grey Parrot

UPDATE: Thank you so much to Trevor S. of BC, who is fully sponsoring Zula. Trevor, your gift to this bird is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Zula’s story: Zula (Tilly’s partner) is one of a group of parrots who arrived from a woman who loves her birds and has kept them in flights, not little cages, all their lives. Now however, her health is not good and she has to move to a smaller home – an apartment we believe – so unfortunately her parrots cannot go with her. She loves the refuge and feels that there would be no better place anywhere for them. She doesn’t want them bred or just sold for money even though she is on a pension.

She is saddened to have to part with them, but her health has made it impossible for her to stay in her home of many years and where these birds enjoyed a free flight lifestyle.

As she could not bear the thought of them being caged, she has allowed them to come live here at the Refuge. Being on a pension, she is not in a financial position to support these birds, and so these new residents are looking for virtual adoptive parents.

Could you be one?

I want to help sponsor a World Parrot Refuge parrot!

Click on the ‘Virtual Adoption’ button below to proceed to our Virtual Adoption page, where you will be able to make a secure monthly or one-time donation, and nominate the parrot you wish to adopt. Please use the post title to identify a specific bird, until the parrots are named, e.g. “Tilly”.

Virtual Adoption