Part of a family that loved her dearly, Goldie was the baby and was the centre of attention of the whole family for several years. They ate together and played together.

As the years passed, the mom of the family developed a cough that simply would not go away. In fact, it was becoming increasingly worse. She also developed pain in her joints and extreme muscle weakness and, worst of all, she could never draw enough air into her lungs. She was diagnosed with hypersensitivity pneumonitis or "Bird Keepers Lung", which is a serious lung allergy that cannot be reversed, but can be halted if the sufferer removes the allergen – in this case any and all feathers.

Goldie was moved to her own room in the basement. Suddenly deprived of all the loving attention she had always received from her ‘flock’, she became afraid and lonely. Goldie started to chew off her feathers and scream.

The mom became very saddened by the appearance of her cockatoo, especially as her health was deteriorating more since the bird was still in the house. The family decided to ask us for help. Goldie has been with us for over two years now. She still chews off her feathers but no longer screams since she gets the location response she wants from the other birds.

Unfortunately, Goldie cannot go into the general population as her wings are too badly chewed to allow her to fly. Goldie lives in the special needs unit and, as with people requiring special care, the costs are very high and Goldie does not have a sponsor.

There are many birds at the World Parrot Refuge who need a great deal of extra care. Volunteers who would be willing to share some of their time are very welcome here.

Please click on the "Donate Now" button below if you wish to contribute to Goldie's support. Every dollar helps, and is tax deductible.

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!

"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.

"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)