Jesse posing: She apparently doesn't like having her picture taken while eating, so she's waiting until we're finished. What a character.

Moon is now fully supported through our virtual adoption program. Thanks! He seems very content as he enjoys an afternoon snack:

When Teemu arrived from his loving home he was showing the effects of unspecified environmental toxins. Parrots have an extremely efficient respiratory system and are susceptible to tiny amounts of chemicals in the air that would not bother humans. For example, many pet birds have been killed by the fumes from over-heated teflon cookware accidentally left on the stove too long.

In Teemu's case new flooring added to his home began affecting him severely. His owners regretfully had to find a new home for him and that's how he came to live at the World Parrot Refuge. As you can see from these photos, he is rapidly recovering. Wendy calls him, "A delightful bird."

Daisy was having a nap but she woke up long enough to show off her feathers. Her recovery has been dramatic. She now seems quite at home with her new friends and surroundings. She's a wonderful bird.

When the day comes for Daisy to join the main flock I'll record her progress - but that won't be for many weeks yet. Wendy encourages new birds to form mini-flocks while they recover their health and adapt to a new home. Later, when they're ready, she moves them as a group into the main compound. Parrots have a complex social life and they need time to work out new relationships - a lot like people.

Esther (aka Lester - He often drops the "L" in his name), is battling cancer. A troubling number of Moluccan Cockatoos in captivity develop cancer. No one knows why. Could it be from nutritional issues? These birds are only one or two generations removed from the wild. They originate from one specific island in Indonesia where they eat things that only grow there. Do they have finely-tuned digestive tracts which are missing some critical item - despite our best attempts to provide a variety of wholesome foods? Or, are they being exposed to environmental toxins in this part of the world to which they have no immunity? As I said - the cause is not known.

Anyway, Esther is a remarkable survivor and has been fighting cancer for over 8 years! He'll never fly again, having lost too many feathers to the disease and subsequent treatment. And of course, he'll never be able to live as a free-ranging bird. Captive parrots cannot be released to the wild for many reasons. But he's twenty years old now and is consistently happy. He's one of our best "ambassadors" because he is always interested in new people and ready to greet them with "Hellos" and cuddles.

As you can tell in this short video, he's got tons of "spirit and Joie de Vivre!" He is full of life! And he's a constant encourager to all of us when we face tough times. We've had many cancer survivors visit us at the refuge and they form an immediate bond with our pal Esther.

The World Parrot Refuge in Coombs, BC, Canada, is home to over 600 previously owned pet parrots.

They end up here for many reasons, but all of them relate to the fact that parrots do not adapt well to captivity.

The best these amazing birds can now hope for is a secure home like the World Parrot Refuge where they are encouraged to regain some small semblance of what they are meant to be.

This music video is dedicated to the birds and to those who care for them. I hope it conveys some sense of the magnitude of the problem, as well as the dedication and compassion of those seeking to be part of the solution.

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.

If you read our pages often, you'll know that Joey (whose story may be found here) had a very challenging life, which changed one day when she found herself here at the Refuge, in the care and loving arms of people who understood what she needed. What you may not know is how well loved this precious cockatoo was. You could not miss Joey when you entered the Special Needs Unit, as she watched you with her patient gaze. You found yourself gravitating toward her and spending time talking to her, giving her gentle scritches, and telling her how beautiful she was. She would soak up the love, often closing her eyes to let you know how safe and content she felt in your presence, while radiating that love back to your heart in the way that only these special beings do.

In her last two days, Joey began to sleep a lot, and her heart rate became extremely slow. At 8pm on May 10, she slipped into a coma while Val - her loving and dedicated caregiver - held her. Later during the night, Joey's heart stopped at 12.30 am on May 11. Her passing in Wendy's arms was very peaceful, and in her last moments she flapped her wings and made a sound that said goodbye.

We were blessed to have Joey with us, and hope you will also hold her story in your heart, and share it with others so everyone will know that such special beings were never meant to be pets, and were always meant to be free.

Grant, one of our special volunteers, has made a beautiful tribute to Joey on his blog. You will find it here.

Fly free, Joey!

Ben, the Blue and Gold Macaw, with his beloved Maggie.

Hello Everyone!

I just wanted to let you all know about how we are doing, and our hard work to raise funds to cover our daily care and medical costs here at the World Parrot Refuge.

We started our own snack bar at Postal Depot 4 in Langford! We managed to talk some great people (Marina and Bernie) into doing a lot of the physical stuff for us because people just don’t take parrots seriously. Really! Even though we had the cash ready to buy candy, pop and cookies, we could not convince anyone at the wholesalers that we meant business! It's a good job that some people see us as the smart and sensitive beings that we are, or our efforts would have got stuck in the “planning” stage!

Read more »

This wonderful video was created by Alex Lee (thank you, Alex!), to celebrate the parrots of the World Parrot Refuge and to highlight how you can help them. Please remember to share it with your friends!

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)