Wendy shares this news with us. It has been a very sad week. We have said farewell to CJ, the Green-Winged Macaw, who passed away on July 24, 2007. CJ came to live with us in Abbotsford over 6 years ago. Before that, he lived in a 'home' on Vancouver Island in a wire enclosure with a sheet of plastic for a roof. He had no heat during the cold, wet winter. CJ was a wild-caught macaw who had the Papilloma virus, for which there is no cure as yet.

You may remember from his earlier story, CJ's previous owner gave him human quality hydrogen peroxide to drink in the belief that this would kill the virus. Needless to say, this caused CJ a lot of digestive problems. He was always bone-thin, although he did have complete feathering. For the last three years he had a good friend to share his compound - Scarletta, the Scarlet Macaw. Scarletta is mourning his loss deeply.

I explained to her what was happening during his last 12 hours and she listened intently. I believe she understands, but she is still very sad. While he was with us, CJ had all the food he could eat - and he ate lots! He was always kept in a warm 15 foot by 5 foot enclosure with access to the outside on warm sunny days. He would sometimes open his door and visit other birds in the Special Needs Unit. The day before he passed away, he did exactly that. He visited and spent time with almost every bird, and even shared food with some. Something inside of me knew that it was his time.

That night I took him home with me, with the plan to take him to see Dr Anne MacDonald in the hopes that she could work new wonders with her magic wand. On Tuesday morning, on the way to the ferry, CJ was cuddled up next to me. He started to say something, and flapped his wings as if in flight. He turned his head to me and opened his eyes. I could feel his heartbeat getting slower against my hand. He closed his eyes and lay against my chest, and then his heart stopped. I hope with all of my being that he is in warm sunshine, flying again with old pals.

This is the part of our work at the refuge that hurts the most deeply. CJ had all the best that life could offer while he was here, but if he had not been taken from his original home, he would never have suffered the indignity of being caged, the discomfort of being cold and wet, and the nausea of being forced to drink hydrogen peroxide. Perhaps his life would have ended much sooner in the wild, but then again, maybe not - perhaps the cure lay out there in freedom.

Go where your wings carry you, darling CJ. Our hearts are with you forever.

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)