Joey, the African Grey, upon arriving at the Refuge.

Joey is now fully sponsored - thank you so much, Christa!

Hello, my friends. My name's Joey. I live in the Special Needs Unit at the Refuge. As you can see, I've had a bit of trouble with malnutrition and depression. Although I'm sure my owners tried, they didn't understand how intelligent parrots are, and how we can get depressed like everyone else if we don't have lots of positive interaction and good food and freedom. When I started feeling sad, I started plucking my feathers. They're growing back now, because I'm no longer alone, and surrounded by lots of good friends. There are lots of other members in my Special Needs flock to talk to, so I'm never alone any more.

I am what they call a rescued parrot. The home I stayed in didn't care too much about me. Maybe they were busy. I'm told by my friends here that it happens all the time. People get parrots for pets, and at first they mean to care for us, but they don't understand how much time and care we need. My friends tell me it's not my fault that I had to get rescued and come here. I still get scared sometimes, but I'm starting to feel more happy and hopeful, now I'm here. I'm hoping to get better and grow back the rest of the feathers I lost. I have to do a lot of work on not hurting my tail feathers any more.

I know I'm not as handsome as some of my friends, but I would love to be able to have my own sponsor. I don't want to have to ever worry about not having this safe place to live in. Bye-bye for now. Love Joey.

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)