Ginny, the Catalina Macaw.

Ginny is a beautiful, spirited Catalina macaw, who embodies the many reasons why a place like the World Parrot Refuge should exist. More recently, Ginny's life was spent in a crack house, where she was kept in a dog crate in the garage. Likely there were many days when Ginny was not fed, nor offered a kind word. Who knows what she endured before that.

In her distress, Ginny had plucked all her body feathers out, and was severely malnourished and afraid. Now she is at the refuge, she is receiving lots of love, a good diet, the companionship of other parrots, and medical care.

To give you an idea of how far from ideal Ginny's living conditions were, we give you here a comparison of Ginny's condition (left) with another Catalina macaw - a healthy, well-loved long-term resident of the Refuge (right). As you can see, we have hopes for Ginny to blossom into her lovely plumage, and to grow in strength, confidence and joy.

Ginny on arrival at the Refuge.

A healthy Catalina Macaw, resident at the Refuge.

Please click on the "Donate Now" button below if you wish to contribute to Ginny'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)