In a facility as large as the World Parrot Refuge there will always be residents who need medical help. Once the diagnoses have been made, Wendy can continue with the daily medical attention and care. When there were only 400 or so birds it was not too difficult to absorb the costs. Even though Wendy works at least 13 hours every day and does not take a penny in compensation, the medical bills are piling up. The biggest worry is that we need to take more birds to see our already over-generous Doctor Anne MacDonald at Night Owl Bird Hospital.

Poppy, a Moluccan cockatoo who has lived with us for 8 years, started to sleep more than normal. When we examined him closely we could see that he was anaemic. Poppy is now in the hospital. His blood tests confirm anaemia. Now we have to find the cause. This includes many different tests including x-rays and an endoscope of the kidneys. He is currently receiving intensive care including antibiotics. The blood tests, x-rays and endoscopy are very necessary and the costs are high.

If you would like to help Poppy, please make a donation in his name. Every dollar makes a difference. Poppy does not yet have a sponsor for his daily care either.

Peaches is an Umbrella Cockatoo who has has been here for just about 1 year now. This little girl was rescued from a dreadful situation by one of our members. Starving and dehydrated, she was less than half her expected weight and unable to stand up. Her feet are totally deformed. We were told that her toes had been deliberately broken. She is now at full weight and has most of her feathers back. She can walk and loves to be cuddled, however, she has to wear a plastic collar to prevent her from chewing her legs. Now that she is physically able to take anaesthetic, we would like the veterinarian to see if her feet can have corrective surgery. We believe that it may be pain from her toes that causes her to try and chew her legs off. It has taken a lot of care to get her to this point. Now we would love to give her the chance to have a normal life – she deserves it.

If you would like to help Peaches with her surgery, please make a donation in her name. We will give her all the after-care, if you can help a little with her surgical needs.

Valentine, the Moluccan Cockatoo, is a wonderful member of our sanctuary who has diligently fought bone cancer. He lost one wing to this dreadful disease, but has soldiered on regardless for years now. He has been a happy little guy without further problems for a long time. Suddenly a lump started to grow on his leg. He needs to have tests done, of course. Can you help? Valentine will allow the work to be done without a complaint. We will take care of him after Dr MacDonald has performed her miracle. We just need money to cover his medical bills. He has a wonderful sponsor for his everyday needs.

If you would like to help Valentine, please make a donation in his name. A small donation from many people will make the world of difference for him.

Wendy, Ann, Val, Grant, and a few feathered advocates for the Refuge recently participated in a Professional Development day for regional high school teachers. It was a great opportunity to educate the educators regarding the plight of parrots, both in the wild and in captivity.

Wendy with Peaches

Ann with the PED Day Display

Thanks to the hard work of a few enterprising volunteers, our cockatoos are able to spend the last days of summer enjoying the sun in their very own outdoor flight! Not only did Larry and Anne Neil; and Doug, Val, and Erin Jones; raise the money for the flight by holding their own garage sale at Doug and Val's home (with the support of Quality Foods), but Larry and Doug worked many long days to construct the outdoor flight. Many thanks to these incredible people who love the birds so dearly, and to all the people who helped them to make this first flight a reality.

Doug and Peaches add the finishing touches

Larry and Rusty hard at work under the blazing sun!

Dale lends a hand with the outdoor flight

Perches in outdoor flight under construction

Sasha gives an interview as feathered supporters look on

Wendy helps shy birds take their first outdoor venture

Evo has the first taste of freedom

Happy to be in the sun!

Pictures from the successful garage sale!

Val and Doug, whose generosity made the garage sale possible

Larry helps set up goods for sale

Erin and Barney work the tent at the garage sale

Garage sale

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 Anne 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.

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!

Birds who are now partly sponsored, thank you!

Birds who are now fully sponsored, thank you!

"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)

"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.