What Happened To All Those Birds?
By Catherine O’Brien (Founder)
A man shared his story with me today about his Cockatoo named “Christopher”. After saving up $1,500 to purchase Christopher plus the additional cost of cage, food and toys, he discovers that he wasn’t prepared for what he thought was going to be an adorable loving addition to the household. The constant noise kept his two young children up all night. Later, he came to find out that the babysitter had taught Christopher inappropriate words. The final straw happened when, at 6 months old, Christopher escaped from his cage, spending the rest of the day shredding the fabric arms of the couch and every other object he could reach in the living room. Christopher has been re-homed where he has been living for the past 19 years. Christopher was one of the lucky ones.
A Bird Sanctuary or Rescue is the name to describe a residential institution devoted to the care and rehabilitation of birds whose caretakers are deceased or otherwise unable to care for them.
Flying Colors Bird Sanctuary of NC, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit that has been rescuing birds in a small facility located in the home of the founder. It currently has thirty bird residents. There are several permanent residents, an adoption program, an outreach program, educational videos and events. Flying Colors has devoted the past five years to rescuing birds and giving them temporary and permanent homes at the facility with a completely volunteer staff. Last year all services were provided with the help of 3,544 hours of volunteer time. Without the volunteers, this program would not exist. Through continuous research and study, the executive director, Catherine O’Brien has earned her certification in avian aviculture and bird care. The volunteer Board of Directors and Advisor's at Flying Colors work with local licensed avian veterinarians, other local rescues, and public educators dedicated to supporting our mission and promoting public awareness. Each year Flying Colors receives hundreds of calls. Sometimes the request is for one bird or as many as one hundred and fifty that are homeless or unwanted. It’s impossible to house that many requests. Most appeals are subsequently put on a waiting list.
There is no adoption fee passed on to the new human companions. The fee is instead translated into volunteer time, (average time 40 hours). If we are contacted by someone with an interest for a new bird they are presented with a 12 page application followed by a person to person interview. Once accepted they can sponsor one of the birds. This allows for them the opportunity to get to know their bird while learning how to properly maintain a happy and loving future. The interaction provides a stimulating environment and teaches proper diet, care and maintenance habits’. Every effort is made to educate them on the costs of veterinary care, food, housing, toys proper diet and any other possible concerns. Once the new home location has passed approval, the final step is a clean bill of health from the vet. The family can then take home their new avian companion.
Why are birds surrendered?
During the surrender process the Flying Colors staff is often told “if I only knew what was really involved I would have never bought a bird.” That means avian retailers are dropping the ball when it comes to proper avian education at the point of sale. Human companions are not going home with realistic expectations and that’s when the nightmare begins. Whether it is a breeder, pet store, rescue or adoption program, retailers need to give an accurate view to the FIRST TIME BIRD OWNER. There is no way that pet stores or breeders can predict every bird’s behavior. Many responsible pet stores and breeders require a class in order to purchase a bird from them. The class usually covers the minimum care standards, but there are no guarantees. Even bred-in-captivity birds retain the inherent behavioral and physical needs of wild parrots. Like many non-domestic or wild animals, they are difficult to keep as pets. Parrots have an extremely long life expectancy and only a very small percentage has a chance to live out their life in their first home.
The costs of running a bird sanctuary or rescue requires funds. The projected operational cost for 2009 at Flying Colors Bird Sanctuary is $50,000. Flying Colors operates on donations and an online non-profit storefront to help cover operational costs and veterinary care. The main contributor has been the founder Catherine O’Brien with donations exceeding $80,000 over a 5 year period. In the beginning food alone would run as high as $500 per month to support 70 birds. Fortunately the sanctuary now receives donations from HARRISON’s and LAFEEBER’S bird food distributors. Birds devour toys at an alarming rate. Some toy companies will allow you to post the non-profit’s name on their web homepage so that if a customer would like to donate, a link is available. Cages that are not of appropriate size or condition often need to be replaced. Veterinary care is a revolving cost that is to be expected. Dr. Greg Burkett, the sanctuary's’ primary veterinarian, is another major contributor and has helped in many cases. For anyone considering becoming a rescue it would be advised you build good relationships with all the local avian professionals in your area, including pet stores, breeders and the like. Local pet stores have bent over backwards to help, by allowing the Flying Colors to have events or donating items the sanctuary could not otherwise afford. In addition to outside assistance, the staff at Flying Colors had to excel at fund-raising and grant writing.
Birds are accepted into sanctuary program for a variety of reasons. Most people think most birds surrendered are because of neglect and torture. This is not true. There are many reasons that birds are surrendered. Most are not the fault of the owner. About 60% of the bird s here at Flying Colors has similar stories as the one that follows.
In one case a middle aged man came to us devastated because he had to give up his bird named “Romeo” that he’d had since he was 10 years old. He knew his bird was young and the life expectancy was another sixty - eighty years. After being married for 4 years, his wife became very ill due to allergies from bird dander. They spent thousands of dollars on air treatment equipment, Doctors for medications and tests. His wife became hospitalized several times before it became apparent they could not keep Romeo. The gentlemen told us “It wasn’t easy to find placement for my bird. For months I have been interviewing possible qualified caregivers and was relieved to Flying Colors. Now I know Romeos future would be secure with his best interests in mind”. Romeo now lives with a couple that cares for him as if he was one of their own children.
30% of the birds surrendered to Flying Colors have endured some degree of neglect. In many cases the home experience started out great until the newness wore off or the bird acquired some type of behavioral issue. Often these birds are banished to the farthest room away from the family and left there sometimes for years because the noise they make was considered intolerable.
Because of the increasing incidences of behavioral problems in companion birds, many are losing their homes. Problems that may develop can include but are not limited to biting, screaming, feather picking, and phobias. Behavioral problems develop when the bird's basic needs are not being met. These needs include food, water, shelter, sleep, and consistent social interaction. Once these needs are met in an appropriate manner, the behavior problems will be easier to resolve or at least controlled. Due to cost of a behavioral specialist, many of these behavioral issues go untreated.
Outreach Program
This program is designed to help prevent the displacement of captive birds and help improve the relationship between the human companion and their bird. Few people can provide for the many needs of captive birds without guidance from an experienced professional or adviser. Proof of this fact is that most parrot facilities are full. Newspaper classifieds and online web sites are saturated with “for sale” ads for these birds.
One on one guidance on the humane treatment and welfare of birds to current bird owners are available free of charge. Educating current bird owners on a one on one, or (house call) basis is critical to the survival of thousands of captive birds. We expect to help more than 70% of the cases accepted into this project. Some of the opportunities that can be addressed are as follows:
Maturity - It's hard to walk away from the pet store without taking a baby bird home. As all good things must come to an end, so goes the sweetness as these babies mature. Odds are great, that a few years later the bird is not the sweetness that was brought home. Do all birds change? No. Most do to some extent. And it's these changes that often drive owners to rescues. The "Outreach" program addresses these issues, to help the bird owner with hands on guidance as the bird passes into adolescence.
Biting - Many new parrot owners don't have a clue what they are getting into until the bird is already home. Flying Colors has worked with families that are terrorized by pet birds. Each year Hospital Emergency Departments treat thousands of animal bite wounds. Aggressive or phobic birds have been known to attack all parts of the body from the head to toe. With the largest percentage being, face wounds generally to the lips, nose, cheeks and arms. In most cases this is a treatable behavior. Treatment is different in every case depending on the nature of the biting.
Screaming - Birds Scream for attention if their social needs are not being met. Spoiled birds scream when their owner lacks the ability to train him/her. Birds quickly learn screaming can get humans to respond. Whether good or bad, unless addressed, it can drive bird owners crazy, or even get them evicted from their homes.
Feather Picking- If a parrot becomes a self mutilator and the habit is not addressed the mutilation will result in the death of the bird. Lack of interaction, wrong foods, bad placement, improper cages and many other factors can contribute to a "problem" bird. Flying Colors works directly to turn the bird’s world right side up, creating an environment that is exciting and livable for both human owner and companion bird.
Unfortunately there is that 10% of birds that have endured harsh abuse or torture. Two of our birds have come from such an environment.
“Aria” an orange wing Amazon and “Yoko” a cherry headed Conure were kept in a cage sized at 14” X 14” X 18” for possibly 16 years after biting the owner. They had endured many infections without treatment. The birds were never named or allowed to come out of their cage, and almost found themselves dumped in a creek to live or die. Instead their future was blessed the day when a local pet store purchased them for a measly $100 to get them away from to owner. You could see their broken spirit in their eyes when they were being rescued. It was clear they had only survived for the other’s company. When Aria and Yoko came to us Aria could only hold onto the perch with her beak for the ride home while leaning onto the side of the cage to avoid falling. Both birds were plucked clean of feathers except for their heads and the tip of the wings. Aria’s beak broke off and was so thin that when our vet scratched it with his fingernail it bled. Within a year both her eyes had to be removed because they were swollen, had tumors and one eye collapsed and caused constant pain. Yoko had a hole in her chest where you could watch each pump of her little heart. Yoko currently has a cataract in her right eye but the other is healthy. Yoko is now Aria’s seeing-eye companion. For the past 4 years both birds lived together at the sanctuary in a 3’ X 10’ X 6’ environment and are currently doing well. Each passing day, through interaction with the pair, we have built trust, loving care and curiosity and a whole new world of interests. The sanctuarys’ rescue program models are specific to the personality of each bird and are creative in the rehabilitation for possible adoption. Some do remain at flying Colors permanently to live out their lives.
At poignant times in our lives, we need to feed our heart. A service opportunity with companion animals can offer benefits that can be extensive and are sometimes unexpected. All animals need our help – whether protecting endangered species or helping care for sick and injured unwanted birds. In any given month more than 20,000 people search for volunteering opportunities working with animals. Volunteering with Flying Colors Bird Sanctuary of NC Inc. could provide life-enhancing opportunities. This year we have partnered with Elon University, and Dr. Martin Fowler, from the Philosophy department, with his Environmental Ethics course. These students have the opportunity to participate in helping the avian community in their area. The program started September 8, 2009. There are more than 20 areas of interest to choose from and we are excited about the future of the program.
If you would like to know more about Flying Colors bird Sanctuary or like to help you can visit our website at flyingcolors-nc.com. You can make donations or help support our programs by visiting our online storefront at 4TheBirds.org a place you can shop and make a statement. That you believe we need to do better for captive birds.
......which is good but kinda bad for me. if i lived a little closer i would volunteer. 
