Andys' Story
October 6th 2009: We now have more information.
Her name is Andy. She is at least 32 years old. She was a wild caught import as her leg band indicates. Thirty years ago she flew in to a back yard some place in California and landed on an aviary that was occupied by Max, a Goffin. A woman coxed her to go inside. There Andy stayed for the next 30 years until the woman that lived there died and the Goffin and the Eleanora came to live in a big cage at the daughters’ home in Arizona. Therein the problems began or should I say became apparent.
The owner/daughter drove for almost four hours to bring the two Cockatoos to our rescue today. Some fifteen weeks ago the Goffin male had ripped the lower half of the female Eleanoras' face off. Not everyone who has parrots or in this case inherited parrots should have them. The owner freely admitted to being in over her head. She wanted to do right by the pair but just didn't know what to do. Now they are in our care. She did right.
While I had seen pictures of the damage done to Andys' face it paled to the reality of seeing her there in my arms. I rushed the owner out the door and called our vets office. There is nothing but a tongue below the upper mandible on her pretty face. Even the bones that supported the lower mandible are gone. I quickly got (MAD) Max settled in to a cage and prepared some Harrisons' Mash to hand feed this fragile little girl. She was too traumatized to eat at that moment.
Myself and another board member took off for Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital to have our charge examined. We had readied ourselves for the worst. Dr. Johnson gave her full exam. She fought against his kind effort but ultimately surrendered. Toward the last she launched herself on the floor. Curt (board member) went over asked the frightened bird the step-up and she did. This bird that had been touched only three times in over thirty years stepped on to Curts' arm! Everybody in the exam room was shocked. My resolve that I could handle euthanasia dissolved. To my relief Dr. Johnson said, "Lets wait for two more weeks and see how she is. She's made it almost four months." She's a little thin. She is unable to preen her feathers. Getting a drink from a bowl and eating the seed she was accustom too was next to impossible. There's no bone to anchor a prosthetic lower mandible too. Nothing there to stimulate to grow but she's here. Andys' propose for living isn't yet completed. Her upper mandible at some point was split in a fight. Her nostril was crushed. The beak grew out with a deep permanent groove, a reminder that man should never have torn these creatures from the sky and attempted to breed them. I believe she wants to live. Now it's up to us to find a way to make life worth living.
She went home with Curt. She's to be fed Harrisons' Fine and seed as well as ample cooked soft fruits and vegetables. No hand feeding. She has to find a way to survive. Her cage must be set-up so it's easy to climb. I sent a parrot water bottle, soft toys, her special food and new cage (that she'll out grow if all goes as we hope) home with Curt. He called to say she was stepping-up and allowing him to hold her!
I wonder how many times in the last thirty years the person who lost her has thought about her and wondered if she's alive. Do they still feel the pain that people feel that have accidentally let a parrot get away? How many times over three decades did they berate themselves for this preventable mishap? Who are they? Do they still grieve? The instant this little Too stepped up on Curts' arm I knew someone out there had loved her. Someone had held her. Someone still looks to the sky and wonders where she is over thirty years after she left.
While we won't need to come up with the thousands ($8,000) we put in to our Azul we will still have expenses. She will forever need routine vet care if we can save her. I'm not asking any of you to give us money. Give Andy your prayers! Ask someone who has money to make a donation to us. If you're bold like I am ask for a check, sit down at a computer take them to our website, and help them get their debit or credit card out. I beg. I plead on behalf of the 38 parrots that are currently in our care. Times are tough but every dollar makes a difference. Imagine if everyone we know and everyone they know gave a dollar how much easier caring for these parrots would be. I look forward to the day that I don't have to 'rob Peter to pay Paul,' so-to-speak. I will however use my last dime to see that these birds come before all else. When I set about to save them I discovered they in turn saved me. They are the joyful reason I am.
I will keep you informed as to how our pretty Andy is doing.
October 7, 2009 Wednesday - Andys' Day 2
Curt reports he saw her eat a little and drink. I fluctuate between hope and fear that she's not going to make it. Andys' first day was stressful. Day 2, in the small 'hospital cage,' indicated she's strong enough to be moved to a larger one. The amount she ate doesn't appear to be sufficient to maintain life. I try to find comfort in the fact that it's a step in the right direction.
She's cautiously stepping-up on her Foster Dad and allowing him to scratch her head. She's getting the one on one attention she desperately needs. In the very least she will know she is loved. While I feel certain her former family cared for her there's a vast difference in birds housed 24/7 in an outside aviary and those brought in to our homes and our hearts that know our touch.
Andy is a reminder that if you don't use caution by keeping wings clipped or apply the use of a restraint such as a harness or tether you could loose your bird. On their own a parrot is at the mercy of predators, starvation and dehydration, as well as man. Too many people use, finders’ keepers’ losers’ weepers, as their code. It's unlikely that we as a rescue could ever find and verify who her owner was over thirty years ago. So many parrots are turned in to rescue years to decades later after being found. A few have been well cared for. Most have been housed improperly, abused, and neglected. My job sees its share of tragedy. While I have great compassion for people who have lost a bird it was an accident that didn't have to happen. While experience is an excellent teacher for our human kind it can mean a fate worse than death for a bird. Owning a parrot is a major responsibility.
Go hug your birds! While you are at it check the growth on their wings.
October 9th 2009 Friday - Andy Update
Curt says Andy is eating. Granted it's only shelled sunflower seeds that she picks out of the other seeds but she's taking in calories. She rejects the idea of steamed veggies and fruits. She has survived for over 30 years on an entirely seed (mostly sunflower) diet. She is getting plenty of water with vitamins added. Dr. Johnson feels in light of her age and her handicap we shouldn't force any big changes. Let her live, as she wants without the aggravation of hand or force feeding.
Andy steps-up and lets Curt do head scratches. She's still surprised by up-close affection. Her crest stands straight up giving her that what-the-heck-is-this-all-about look. In time she'll settle in and totally relax. The move to the bigger cage has gone great. She has a play-top and is out the entire day. Her world is looking much brighter. I suspect she's going to make it. Dr. Johnson will see her again in ten days. Keep her in your prayers.
The Future: I'm looking ahead. Andy will need a forever home. The rescue sanctuary is too busy a place for our special girl. Curt is simply a foster parent, a super wonderful foster parent. He won't be keeping her. (He works primarily with our very troubled birds.) He and his wife Melanie were to evaluate Andy. I want a home whereby she can have all the attention she desires. The key word being 'desires.' Someone who isn't loaded with parrots. Her person must be willing to take her in to Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital for check-ups and pay the modest charges. No one with young children. I have a couple of folks in mind... I'm waiting on an answer. Andy must be some place where she can live out her days. Only God knows how long she will grace our world. Unlike my own two Ellies', Andy is quiet. I hope she gets more vocal with time.
About Mad Max: Curt has him too. He's the guy that attacked Andy. He's housed in a different area so as the two don't have a chance of contact. I freely admit to the boy not being high on my list of close and snuggly. He managed to delivered a couple of nasty wounds to my hand in very short order. While he allotted me no respect he likes Curt and is of course okay with being held. He's a work in progress. He too will need a new home. It's tough to place a bird that's done the deed he did. I always disclose the truth even when it's ugly. In the event Max can be rehabbed to be a companion he should go to a home where he doesn't confront parrots his size or smaller. He should never be housed with other birds in close proximity. That's currently my feeling. I'm open for feedback on this guy.
That's it for today. Breathe a sigh of relief for the time being where Andy is concerned. Keep sending her healing energy and prayers. Start thinking about Max and help me in finding the right home when the time comes. I'll keep you all up to date. After this weekend you'll be able to follow this journey on our website. The site is going to be going through a much needed overhaul. We have a lot of parrots waiting to be adopted.
October 20th 2009 – Our Andy Girl
She’s nothing less than beyond amazing! She has defied all of our expectations. She’s eating everything! Steamed and microwaved vegetables of every sort are high on her list. Fresh fruits cut in to bite-size pieces! Sweet potatoes and squash are her favorites. The biggest surprise is somehow Andy is able to crunch pellets! She turned her nose up at Harrisons’ preferring ZuPreem Fruit Blend Parrot/Conure. She’s still getting her shelled sunflower seeds as well as the other fresh seeds we feed. She’s gaining weight!
Indulge me if you will... I believe in a supreme being. I call him, God. Time and time again He has proven His presents in my life and the lives of the parrots I am here to care for. I believe it is my divine purpose to care for Gods’ incredible masterpiece that was intended to grace our skies instead of our living rooms. Parrots feed my soul to its very depth. I, who should have died long ago from Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, have a reprieve because of these birds. I owe the fact that I am once again ambulatory and my diagnosis had to be changed to Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis to one amazing parrot, my Skyler. I had to get better to do what I do. Perhaps it is because I am flawed that I relate so well to others that have endured a hardship. Perhaps because I have embraced hardship as a higher path to learning I can relate to parrots like Andy.
Back on track. Andy can go to a home of her own. She’s going to make it. Not only is she going to make it she’s going to thrive. I’ve been concerned as to who would give her a ‘forever’ home. I discussed the matter with a number of persons that I considered a possibility only to be turned away. Curt (her foster dad) reminded me that the right person would come along. God hadn’t brought Andy this far to abandon her. He’d see that she would get new parents. I THINK He just might have sent her new Mom to me!
Over the weekend I received a Contact Form from Teresa, an amazing woman that had a couple of extra parrot cages and other items to donate to Arizona Exotic Bird Rescue. Today we connected over the phone. The more I listened to this beautiful woman the more I knew that as badly as we need cages we needed her to take on one of our special birds more. I think I just might have found Andys’ new Mom! Like me she has overcome tremendous odds. Like so many parrots in our care she has triumphed over adversity. She can relate to a parrot like Andy that’s taking a handicap and moving forward no matter what. She already has one special needs feathered child. (That’s another amazing story that connects the two of us.) This was one of those moments that God just slapped me up side the head! I don’t as yet know for certain that Teresa is Andys’ magical mom but I feel pretty darn sure those cages she was going to so generously give to us are going to stay right where they are to be filled by one (or more) of our gang that need exactly what this special woman has to give!
November 1st 2009 Andy Update – Looking For A Home
It appears that Andy does not have a new Mom as I had hoped. That’s okay. We are actively looking although we have no one who is willing to accept a handicapped parrot at this moment. Folks willing to adopt parrots with missing feathers are few and far between. One with the lower half of her face missing is proving more difficult. We just have to wait… I believe there is a place for all of Gods creatures and Andy is no exception. What do you think? Does Andy sound like a bird you could invite into your heart and home for the remainder of her life?
Andy is a normal Eleanora Cockatoo in every way with the exception of loosing the lower mandible and a good portion of her jaw bone. She eats everything the other parrots in our care eat! She seems to have no problem drinking. She’s happy and enjoys life. Only caged at night she loves the freedom to just hang out on the play stands. She’s still a quiet girl only vocalizing occasionally. She displays the bouncy joy my own Ellies do. What an inspiration this little girl is! “Where there’s a will there’s a way.” Andy had such a strong will to live in spite of what appeared to be insurmountable odds. She made it! She’s ready to go to a home of her own. I hope we can make that happen. Don’t stop praying for her yet!
And Then There’s Max…
What do we do with Max? He’s the 32 year old Goffin that attacked Andy. Clearly he attacked her multiple times over the years she was imprisoned with him. He can’t be placed in a situation whereby he could injure or perhaps kill another bird. I don’t know, as I would trust him in an aviary no matter how large a space he would have, if their were other parrots. He would need to be housed as a solitary bird. Can he be rehabbed as a pet after decades of minimal human contact? If we could find a person that was experienced in working with guys like Max, that isn’t totally overloaded, it would be a Godsend. If there’s someone out there with an aviary that offers climate comforts (and no other parrots) that would work. If this sounds like you then rush to complete our application!
Winged Blessings,
Jan
Non-Profit Charitable Avian Sanctuary