Hey there! I'm Gigabyte. If you wonder about my name, I used to hang out with a bunch of computer geeks. The only trouble with computer geeks is they don't have time to look after a beautiful Blue and Gold Macaw like me. I got used to eating lots of junk food, which seemed good at the time, but it's not really a good thing if I want to live a long and healthy life. I didn't know any better then, so I used to get really excited at the sight of the pizza delivery guy.

Here at the Refuge, I've been getting a whole range of different foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, lots of different nuts and seeds. I've also got lots of friends to hang out with, and a whole lot of different toys - which are much more colourful and exciting than a stack of compact discs, let me tell you! LOL!

The humans at the refuge pay me a lot more attention too, and make sure I have everything I could possibly need to be healthy. Sometimes when they work late though, I see them eating pizza, and I can't help but shout at them, "Is that REAL FOOD?"

TTYL, Gb.

(Translating Gigabyte's 'netspeak: LOL is "laughing out loud" and TTYL is "talk to you later".)

If you want to Virtually Adopt Gigabyte and contribute to her care, you may do so in a few ways:

• Click on the "Donate Now" button below to make a secure one-time, annual or monthly credit card payment with CanadaHelps.org, the national non-profit organization that collects charitable donations on behalf of Canada's registered charities. This very safe method is our preferred choice as it reduces overheads and helps us focus our efforts on caring for the parrots.

  
• OR Visit our donations page to learn about other payment options for contributing to virtual adoption.
• OR Click on the button below to fill out a simple virtual adoption form. We will contact you as soon as possible by means of the contact e-mail you provide, if you have further questions.

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)