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National Parrot Sanctuary


pixiexoxo

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Hi all,

 

My self and the family went to the National Parrot Sanctuary on Monday which is situated near Skegness in the UK.

I was excited about seeing all the different parrots and spending some time learning about what the organisation does to help homeless babies.

I wasn't expecting to see many Greys as I thought they were quite an unusual pet and that anyone that has a Grey would be totally devoted (as we are!)

My hubby and I actually came away from the sanctuary quite upset as this is what we saw....

grey_2.jpg

 

There was an aviary with HUNDREDS of Greys! The picture really doesn't show the full extent to how many birds were actually in there. It appeared to be exactly the same for the Macaws and Cockatoos too... Lots and lots and lots of them, although there was not as many smaller parrots.

My only guess is that people buy these beautiful creatures thinking they make wonderful pets and don#t realise the amount of work and time that needs to be put into them so they get taken to the sanctuary.

The sanctuary itself is a wonderful place with many beautiful people that care for the birds day and night. They are doing such a wonderful job.

 

Just wanted to share this with you all, and if any of you in the UK are ever in the area, pop in to see them and give your support.

 

 

:-)

 

Amy xx[/img]grey_2.jpg [/img][/img]

 

Post edited by: pixiexoxo, at: 2008/05/29 10:54<br><br>Post edited by: pixiexoxo, at: 2008/05/29 10:55

grey_2.jpg

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Oh look at them all, would make me want to take them all home. I totally understand why there are so many in the sanctuary, as you are completely right that people get them thinking they are a fun pet (many clips on you tube which show this) and then realise that they take a lot of work and when they don't turn out as they thought they get rid of them.

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As far as i'm aware, they keep all the birds that they take in. They may send them about to other sanctuaries but i'm not sure. They do have a website...

www.parrotzoo.co.uk , but it doesn't mention anything about rehoming on there that I can see.

They actually adapt the birds to live outside by putting them in a seperate area when they first arrive.

There was also a section for birds with problems and we saw many many poor birds that were plucked beyond belief and were also quite disabled (no bills etc).

They are all obviously very well cared for by the team that works there and the majority of them are indeed very friendly. We heard many different versions of "hello" as we walked past the aviarys lol.

I wish I lived nearer so that I could go and help as much as I could.

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That is sad.

 

If those Greys were hand raised and used to human interaction, head scratches and the mental stimulation most of us provide to our Greys.

 

Being in a cage as pictured would be pure torture, boring and nothing more than just an existence, watching Humans walking by and wishing one would say "Step-Up you sweet thing and lets go". :-(

 

It is very sad, if they do not try to find good loving homes for them, where they could thrive, be happy and loved and live out their 60 + years as they deserve to. Not stuck in a cage with no stimulation or personal love from the Human kind they are used to.

 

I personally would be tempted to Free them. So they could at least enjoy some out of cage time. :-)

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It was very sad Dan :( I was in tears when I saw some of the birds that had been plucking and generally damaging themselves, my hubby was choked too and my son just wanted to bring them all home.

It's awful to think that people just give them away so freely without giving thought as to what they are going to be doing to them mentally.

It was very clear that some of them had obviously spent the majority of their lives with human companions as many of them were incredibly cuddly and tame and talked very well.

I'm sure that some are probably from homes where they had perhaps lost their owners through old age or ill health... no way that all of them could be from those circumstances though :(

 

As I stated before the staff at the sanctuary are doing the best that they can do and really do care for the birds.. I just want to emphasize the point that in no way, shape or form am I slating them.

I may get the lads from my hubby's rugby squad to come up with a fund raising idea to donate some money as i'm sure it can't be cheap to keep all of the birds there.

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That is a shame. We went to a similar sanctuary in Georgia, they do however adopt out. The one thing the man said as we were speaking to him, was that people don't think when they make arrangements for their birds (as in if you die and set up a trust for the bird to go to the sanctuary)is that your bird has lived with human interaction and all of sudden they go to very little of that, and its very hard on a bird. If you have someone to take him if you die, then you should do that, or give permission for the sanctuary to adopt your bird out if they find him/her a good home. I had never thought about that. I guess I automatically figured that my birds would be miserable without me. Probably just my ego talking.

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I agree Christina.

 

Maybe it's not a bad idea idea to think about what happens to our beloved birdies after we're gone (albeit a tad morbid).

I know a few people that have their pets written into their wills incase something happens.

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How very sad .Those poor babies. I can't imagine people visiting and walking by all those poor guys and leaving them there.

Exactly what is the mission of this group , if they don't allow adoptions ? I guess I better check out the website.

My Sammy is a handful right now , (doing better) but I could never part with either of my birds.My Grand Daughter is taking both our birds at our death .

Also I think it would be great to start a savings account for our birds , so that when we do go , they wont be a financial burden on the person .

I feel bad for those birds .Lets go get them ...

Mary

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Mary, it was indeed very hard to walk past them hence why hubby and myself came out feeling really upset. If I had the room, I would have taken the lot! lol

 

I'm not sure on the adoption issue with regards to the parrot sanctuary. I couldn't find anything in any of the literature or on their web page that mentioned anything about rehoming.

A savings account is a great idea! Seeing as i'm 30 years old myself, i'm hoping to be around for a long while yet to enjoy Biggles' company but I would imagine that Biggles will go to my son when I go, or hopefully by then, a grand child :)

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Pixiexoxo,

I did check it out and read the parrots are not up for adoption, they say the birds are happier there rather than being locked up and only being allowed out when we get ready to let them out. I was sick to my stomach when I got off that website . I am sure they mean well , but to make people think that their way is better than a loving home with a family is slightly misleading . There has to be a hidden mission , somewhere .

Mary

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That is Trully a sad picture to see all the beautiful Grey's in a cage for the rest of their live with none other little human interaction no cuddle no kisses no freedom breaks my heart what the heck is the matter with there previos owners couldn't they have at least taken the time to find their birds a decent home how long does it take to put an add in the paper and screan a few potencal homes for your bird a week mabie a month makes me absolutly sick to my stomach. My daughters have agreed to take my birds when I go than goodness. Mind you my birds won't be in the same place but at least they both will have wonderful loving homes.

Goodmorning_Patricia-1.jpg

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Thanks for the link LMG... it certainly made interesting reading and raised points I hadn't even thought of.

The breeding issue is an interesting one, and to be honest, I never noticed any boxes in the large aviaries at all!

It's sad to think that maybe these people do indeed keep the birds instead of re-homing them as a way to "line their pockets".

The entrance fee was just over £5 per person and extra if you wanted to buy a bag of food to take round. It can't be cheap to run the business.

 

Seems like i've started a bit of a debate here! :blink:

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To add quickly,

 

We did notice a couple of parrots that had got loose from the cages due to the wire fencing being so large... and i'm pretty sure wild birds were getting in..Makes me wonder what other creatures can get in and out that may spread nasty diseases?

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Casper,

 

The postcode for the sanctaury is PE22 8PP. You can multimap it to get a better idea of distance. Skegness is on the east coast and may time some time to get to from Leeds. Hope that helps :)

 

Mary, the situation is awful and reading comments on other forums about this place makes me realise that we are not the only people in the UK that thinks this. I'm not sure what we can do about it to be honest as i'm fairly new to all of this but if anyone has any ideas, then please let me in on them :)

 

Amy x

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I'm not sure about the UK , but here we have animal rights activist groups that would have a hay day in that place . First of all , what I saw on the surrender page was they are actually telling people their birds will be happier with them , so they throw a guilt trip on the people . Second , you all say the conditions are over populated , so a sanitation law might be in an avenue to look at . Also the breeding situation , what are they doing with the baby birds? How is this organization funded . I guess you might check with animal housing or talk to a local zoo , to see if they have a comment .Perhaps a parrot club , if you have them in the UK.... I don't know .

Mary

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