This is a notice that the Annual General Meeting of the "For the Love Of Parrots Refuge Society", is going to be held at the Gift Shop at the Refuge on Saturday, May 24, 2008, from 3:00-4:00pm.

If you are in the Nanaimo area this Saturday, May 10, how about heading out to the Country Club Mall for the 2nd Annual SPCA Pet Show? Sasha and Dixie will be there representing the Refuge, and will be chaperoned by some feathered ambassadors. Memberships and other goodies will be on sale. Sasha and Dixie will be looking for hard-working volunteers to join our team. They will also be providing information about the virtual adoption program, and other facets of the Refuge operation.

The SPCA asked Esther if he would make the draw for their raffle. Esther agreed graciously, and is getting his beak polished for the occasion.

Likewise, if you are in Parksville on Saturday, May 10, our founder, Wendy Huntbatch, will be operating a display at the Parksville SPCA open house, and will be available to answer your questions.

Volunteers Ann Neil and Margaret Trotter recently represented the World Parrot Refuge at the Brant Wildlife Festival

This year's woodcarver's competition featured some of our parrots. They did quite well, judging by the ribbons!

The carvings sprang from a presentation Wendy Huntbach gave to the Vancouver Island Woodcarver's Club.

If your group would be interested in Wendy's talk, aided by some feathered friends of course, please contact us for details.

Larry is another one of our volunteer group. Lately he's been assembling the frames for the new Macaw flight cages:

Getting there...

Dixie is popular with the Parrots, as you can see. She's one of many volunteers who help keep the refuge going. Currently, she's planning to develop the outdoor grounds into an organic garden that would become part of the World Parrot Refuge "experience." As well it would be a source for some of our bird's nutritional needs. (Seven hundred parrots go through a lot of food - more on that soon).

Dixie is looking for a volunteer master gardener who would like to help her with this project ... any takers out there?

Great Canadian Casinos presents "seed" money for WPR Avian Hospital

A group of us gathered at noon today (22 March 2008) in the Special Needs Unit of the Refuge for an exciting event. Howard Blank, on behalf of the Great Canadian Casinos Nanaimo, presented Wendy Huntbatch, founder of the Refuge, with a cheque for $11,111.48! Many of our beloved residents gathered around to see if they could help to examine the cheque, but fortunately nobody shredded it to build a nest!

This incredible donation is actually "found" money, that is, unclaimed money that is collected at casino venues and saved for charitable donations. Great Canadian Casinos continues to be an incredible supporter of the Refuge, and Howard Blank's personal support has made a world of difference to all the parrots of the World Parrot Refuge. This money will be the "seed" money to start building the WPR Avian Veterinary Hospital, and brings the dream of full medical services on-site closer to reality. Thank you to everyone who came out to show support, and thank you to the Great Canadian Casinos Nanaimo!

Here's a video of the ongoing construction in the Macaw House. During the filming, I was helped by two very able assistants: a talkative Amazon named Lou, and everyone's buddy, Esther. Enjoy - Grant

Special guests! Wendy Huntbatch, Esther the Moluccan cockatoo, Kiwi the male Eclectus, Nikki the Moluccan cockatoo, and Lucy the 18 month-old Hyacinth Macaw. Don't miss this chance to learn from Wendy and the birds first-hand!

It's less than a month away! The Pirates of the Sullivan (click here for more details) will be landing in Surrey, and we'd love you to be there to take part. Have you got your tickets yet? Would you like to meet some great parrots (and people too!)? Would you like to help the parrots of the World Parrot Refuge and have fun at the same time? Then please get in touch with Karen Loveys, and be sure to tell your friends too!

When: Saturday February 2, 2008.
Where: Sullivan Community Hall, 6306 - 152nd Street, Surrey, BC.

3:00-5:00pm: Parrot Adventure, for all ages! Admission by donation.
7:00pm: Evening Dance, for adults only. Doors open at 6:30pm. Admission is $10.00 per ticket, $15 at the door! Special door prizes for tickets purchased before February 2nd!

Please Help!

We need more childrens' prizes for the Parrot Adventure, a major prize for the Treasure Hunt, and more items for the silent auction. If you or anyone you know (businesses or groups too!) can donate any of these, please contact Karen soon!

We also need people to help Karen pre-sell tickets prior to the day. This is one of our biggest fundraisers this year, so we need good numbers going into the event to help the parrots!

For tickets, to donate prizes and/or auction items, or to volunteer, please contact the organizer, Karen Loveys, at karenloveys.ca.

The Gift Shop is looking very Christmassy - great job, Leah! I hope many of you will find time during the Holiday break to come out and visit. The birds love the action.

Parrots and pirates have always had a special connection through their love of freedom and adventure. In this spirit, we'd like to invite you to a special fundraiser, "Pirates Of The Sullivan", for the parrots of the World Parrot Refuge!

When: Saturday February 2, 2008.
Where: Sullivan Community Hall, 6306 - 152nd Street, Surrey, BC.

3:00-5:00pm: Parrot Adventure, Ahoy!

All ages are welcome to take part in our parrot adventure! Admission by donation.

Come meet our parrot friends, have your picture taken, watch a video, learn about parrots, and take part in a treasure hunt!

7:00pm: Evening Dance, Arrr!

Adults only. Doors open at 6:30pm. Admission is $10.00 per ticket if you purchase before Dec 31, 2007; price goes up in 2008!

Dress in your best pirate fineries or land lubber garb, and come along for an evening of fun and dancing. We promise a great mix of music (Country, Swing, Ballroom and Latin). The proceedings begin with a dance lesson, so those among ye with sea legs can master the dance floor! There will be a treasure hunt, prizes for the best pirate costume, and a silent auction with tables announced between 9:45-11:00pm.

Have fun, and support the World Parrot Refuge at the same time!

For tickets or to volunteer, please contact the organizer, Karen Loveys, at karenloveys.ca.

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)