Love riding your motorcycle?  Love birds?  Then check this out: a local man has decided to combine his love of riding and his love of animals to help support the parrots at the refuge! This Ride Is For the Birds is a fundraiser motorcycle ride set for September 19, 2010.  Radio support is being donated by The Coast 91.7 CKAY FM.

Robert has been active in animal welfare for many years, including working in shelters and serving time on the SPCA council (chairman) in Nanaimo and doing rescue work in Ladysmith. He has also helped other societies like the Animal Advocates and the Humane Society.  Now, he has turned his heart to the parrots!

He says, “When I found out that the Parrot Refuge had run into difficult times, I decided I'd try and help. Having been riding motorcycles for many years, the idea of putting on a Ride for the Birds came naturally.”

We are thrilled and so grateful! If you would like to join Robert in this fundraiser, details are after the link:

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We have new t-shirts featuring our great new illustration designed by Sheila Potts of Blue Chair Designs!

The shirts are a warm beige colour and 100% pre-shrunk cotton with a wonderful multi-colour silkscreened image.

Only $14 each + shipping ($3 in Canada, $4 to the US).

To see photos or place an order, please click Read More:

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Many thanks to Gary who provided the incentive for this program by asking if the refuge had donation cans. I said not right now...but we'd get some! The past week has been spent getting the cans, designing the labels, receiving feedback, printing the labels and assembling the cans.

Gary has now taken 25 cans to distribute around the Surrey/Delta areas of the Lower Mainland, BC, and has plans to visit vets and other appropriate venues.

If you would like to help out with our new Donation Can program as a distributor, or have contacts in organizations and/or businesses that would be willing to "host" a can, please contact Cheryl. There are currently 25 cans left to be distributed.

Thank you!

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17 MORE PEOPLE FACE THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE: LOSS OF BC GAMING GRANT DEVASTATES THE PARROT SANCTUARY.

The closing of 2 large rescue organizations in Canada in the last 2 years has dramatically increased the flow of parrots to the World Parrot Refuge in Coombs, BC, which is now housing more than 800 birds. The loss of the BC Government Gaming Grant has almost crippled this organization.

With the generosity of loving people and the fund raising ventures of volunteers and staff, the sanctuary has kept its head above water - until now. We need to raise about $30k to get through till the tourist season is under way. Tourism season puts us back in the black for a few months and gives us the chance to apply for grants.

We need the hard working, caring staff to provide this loving home to these previously owned pet parrots and aging ex-breeding birds. Our staff work for just above minimum wage and add hours of volunteer labor because of their devotion to the birds they love.

Now they face the unemployment line.

If the government had used common sense, they could see that it is far cheaper to donate $100k of the Gaming Funds to this charity instead of now having to pay out EI funds. The job market on Vancouver Island is bleak to say the least. To be able to provide steady employment to 17 people is a great help to the economy. These people have families and they spend money. The loss of their jobs will not only devastate them, but will cause great hardship for those of us who volunteer to care for the parrots.

The government gladly takes the tax money from the sale of parrots to the public. Happily grabs tax money from each and every sale of cages, toys and bird food, but bears no responsibility for the problems associated with a trade that should not even exist.

We add a great venue to the tourism industry and provide tax dollars to the government. We want to be open for the upcoming tourist season, but we need the funding to make this possible.

If you are able to help sponsor our staff until tourist season begins, we would be most grateful. The birds depend on our staff, and without them we won't be able to give them the type of care that is needed to provide a Home For Life.

Imagine being confined to the same room day after day, week after week, year after year. You cannot choose when and what you eat, how you spend your time, whether you have a partner and - if you do - who that partner is. Imagine never being able to seek out the company of another person, take a walk or decide anything for yourself.

If you can imagine this, you have some idea of how frustrated birds are when they are cooped up in cages. Just ask John Abraham.

A longtime animal supporter, John posed for a PETA print ad with the slogan "No One Wants to Be Caged: Let Birds Fly Free".  Says John, "I crawled into a human-sized cage to depict the sad plight of birds imprisoned in cages. Birds are born to fly great distances. Keeping them jailed is a cruel thing to do and possibly the worst form of punishment anyone can think of for a bird".  (Note: You can view the ad here.)

Click the link to finish reading the article:
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The World Parrot Refuge was very proud to present a unique conference in Parksville, BC, which helped to educate the attendees about conservation and the illegal parrot trade. A number of amazing parrot experts joined us from Canada, the United States, Mexico and the United Kingdom, all of whom presented lectures as part of our goal to educate the public about what is being done to protect the parrots of the world.

Over the next week or so, we will have photos posted and a brief of the lectures to share with you.

Please click below to read more about the fascinating speakers who presented at the conference.

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The Benefit Concert was amazing.  The people involved are all professional singer/songwriters and/or bands.  They donated their time and work to raise funds for the Parrot Refuge - and they didn't even know who we were.  John, the sound guy, worked all night - he is brilliant.  The room at the Supermarket was donated by the owners for the concert.  I just cannot get over how much was done by these people because they care for other living beings. 

The location will be in my memory for years.  It was like being transported back to the Hippie Era.  The whole street was definitely 'different'.  It was way after 2am when I left, and the streets were full of people.  Coombs closes everything at 9pm!

The concert raised a fantastic $625.  Lindi worked so hard to get this organized, and believe me:  it went as smooth as cream - not even one hitch.  We even have a new contact who will be a halfway house for surrendered parrots in the Toronto area.  This concert has opened the eyes of many and has given us more exposure than we could have dreamed of.  And we have Lindi as a friend and supporter for life.  She is a true parrot person.

The World Parrot Refuge would like to sincerely thank Lindi and her friends, The Supermarket, and everyone else who helped make this such a special evening.  And for all music fans out there, do take a moment to check these musicians out.  They are all wonderful, talented, good-hearted people!

Sara Kamin
Mandipaal Jandu
The FrameWork
Emma-Lee
The Donefors
Dylan Murray
Lindi Ortega

The Supermarket, Toronto

Thank you all, so much!

Wendy,

I am impressed with your organization.

I have a Congo African Grey Parrot. She is female and is about 15 years old. Compared to some of the birds on your site, Grey Bird is in great shape. She has all her feathers and does not pluck herself, but her quality of life is not the best!

I have reached a point in my life when I would like to travel a bit. I cannot do so with her. She does not do well if she is moved! And I do not feel good leaving her.

A few weeks ago I saw a DVD entitled "The Cove". It was about the slaughter of dolphins in Japan and about the dolphins that are captured and sent to "sea exhibits" around the world. The producer was the person who trained the original Flipper in the Flipper television series. Flipper ended his life in this man's arms. Dolphins and whales are the only animals who can will themselves to stop breathing and this is what Flipper did. It opened this man's eyes to the level of suffering of dolphins in captivity.

I think the same level of suffering is true for parrots! It opened my eyes.

What do dolphins and parrots have in common?

1. They are both highly intelligent creatures.

2. They are both VERY social animals.

3. They are both capable of living a long time. I think parrots outlive dolphins.

4. They both suffer a great deal in captivity.

Parrots cannot end their own suffering, but some of their "captive" behaviours make one think that they want to!

I tried to be a good owner. I rescued Grey Bird. There is no comparison to what she was when she came to me and what she is now, but I failed her as well.

What I see on a much deeper level now is that parrots cannot be kept happily as pets by a single owner in a cage, any more than dolphins can be happily kept in a sea world environment. Neither is possible.

Parrots should not be offered for sale.

In my other life I was a biologist. I majored in animal behaviour - ethology. The study of ethology teaches very clearly the difference between "tame" and "domesticated". Dolphins and parrots can be easily tamed but never domesticated.

All wild animals have what are called flight distances. This is the distance a wild animal will let you approach before they attack or run. Sociable animals like parrots and dolphins can reduce this distance to zero. They allow human contact. This is the definition of "tame" - flight distance is reduced to zero. "Domestic" means the animal can thrive and do well in a human environment. Most domestic animals could not survive in any other environment. Cats, dogs, and cattle are some examples, but this is not true of dolphins or parrots. Most do not thrive.

Parrots require tremendous stimulation.

Alas poor Grey Bird leads a most deprived life. She has had the best of food (pellets!), care, etc, but I have failed her. She does not know that she is a bird. I know this. She actively courts Magi, my Papillon. What can I say?

I do not think it is in a parrot's best interest to be someone's pet.

Like I said, parrots are tamed, not domesticated. They need to be in colonies of their own kind. Like training Flipper did for the producer of The Cove, having Grey Bird has made me see very clearly how totally wrong it is to keep a parrot as a pet. I am her future, and I want to do what is best for her.

I want to give her the best "forever" future I possibly can.

John

There is an M2 named Dusty - who is apparently noisy and hates women! I must have been wearing male hormones since I met him because he loves me. He was wearing an actual frisbee around his neck for 2 years. It had steel screws in it and weighed a ton. Now he is a happy bird since it has gone. His wings have been trimmed within centimetres of the skin. The owner was trying to breed him and when it didn't work he began advertising the female for sale. I tried to get her too but without success.

Then there is Buddy, the Lesser Sulfur, who is in fact an Eleanora without a tail or wings. She was given by the Edmonton Humane Society as they felt that she needed a Home For Life. Loud, yes - funny, yes - on the way here she chewed through two carriers and jumped onto my shoulder to screech hello! She will settle in just fine.

Luki, a Goffins cockatoo (well that says it all doesn't it!) is so excited and has already signed up as a member of the Goffini Mafia and has lots of other members visiting already.

The other eleven birds came from a breeder. We all cried rivers. A pair of Greenwinged Macaws - wild-caught 46 years ago - who love their new compound. A pair of terrified wild-caught Umbrella cockatoos in really poor shape - they are still hiding in a cage that is also hidden from the world to give them privacy. A pair of Eclectus - we can't tell what subspecies they are as they don't have feathers. A single male Eclectus who was obviously someone's pet once - now, instead of that beautiful green colour, his remaining feathers are black - and his beak has very little colour and is hugely overgrown. His eyes were so empty and sad when I picked him up. Even in one day there is a true difference and he has even started to say things.

There is another Umbrella male - an ex-pet also - in really poor shape, but he loves it when you pet his head. There is also a huge Double Yellowheaded Amazon who looks as though he walked here from the Amazon and didn't stop for a bath. He is fat, but not well-fed - clearly his nutritional needs have not been met. Finally a pair of what I believe are Peach Fronted Conures. I will be able to see better when the swelling goes down around their eyes and some of their feathers grow back. All of the breeder birds are suffering from extreme vitamin A deficiency - and I believe the Eclectus male has fatty liver disease. I have given them all vitamin shots and trimmed some of the longest nails I have seen.

Two days later: I will try to get some pictures of the birds - who incidentally look so much better already. Only Grey Bird came with a partial sponsorship. All of the other 15 birds are our responsibility. We desperately need to get sponsors for them. - Wendy

If you can help, please visit our donation page and tell us who you would like to help. Even a monthly donation of $10 "For the Birds", will make a big difference in the long-term care of these birds. Virtual Adoptions are $21 per month for a half sponsorship, or $42 per month for a full sponsorship. Thank you!

Wendy recently undertook a personal rescue mission to Calgary to give 16 surrendered parrots a new home for life at the Refuge. The story was covered by the Calgary Herald.

One of our supporters, Danielle Cawthorne, wrote this great letter in response to the following news item, No grant money for adult arts and sports groups, which dismissed the needs of the parrots because they are not indigenous to Canada. As most of our readers know, these birds didn't ask to be brought here or born here to be kept as pets, but now they are here, we need to care for them.

Hi Sean,

Just wanted to clarify something about animal shelters. Animals don't have to be indigenous to require shelter. Many animals are in shelters because of irresponsible breeding, cruelty, and abandonment. House cats and dogs make up the bulk of the population in most shelters and they aren't indigenous to BC. Shelters offer a haven for animals from every continent.

The "parrot recovery society" you refer to is the World Parrot Refuge.

The World Parrot Refuge houses about 700 parrots, most of them are former pets who were abandoned by their owners. They are extremely high maintenance pets, and a cage in a home designed for humans will almost always make make a parrot physically and emotionally ill. The symptoms of emotional illness in a parrot include screaming, self mutilation, and aggression. Eventually most people give up on them and they end up either being shuffled from home to home all their lives, or they end up in shelters. Yet breeders keep breeding them and pet stores keep selling them.

A government that makes no attempt to keep parrots out of the pet trade has a moral obligation to support the shelters in which the victims of this trade eventually come to live.

The loss of that $100,000 has severely restricted the WPR's ability to care for the animals in their shelter. I urge you to visit the shelter and see first hand what their challenges are. It would make a very good story and would give your readers a more balanced perspective on this issue.

Here's the address and contact information.

Danielle Cawthorne