Center for Avian Rehabilitation & Education

Regular readers of this blog or visitors to the Center are familiar with Mango, a female Ducorps cockatoo that was surrendered to us last summer. Here is the entry when she was surrendered, this one is two days later, and this one is about a month after that.

Mango, the day she was surrendered:


We are happy to report that she has made amazing progress since being entrusted to CARE. As you can see from the picture below, her wound has completely healed, and she is almost fully feathered.

Mango, yesterday:

Mango is not yet up for adoption, as we want to wait a few more months to make sure that she will not relapse. Additionally, we need to make sure that whoever adopts her is fully aware of the issues involved when dealing with a former mutilator, as we are concerned that if she goes into a stressful environment, she may mutilate again.

Mango is yet another testament to the resiliancy of parrots. Sometimes it's hard to remember that parrots are wild animals; only a few generations removed from the wild. They have behaviors that make them unsuited to living in most homes: they're messy, they're loud, they bite, etc. As a result, they get shuttered in garages, basements, outdoors. Denied the interaction that they require. We have seen hundreds of neglected and abused parrots come through our facility. It truly is amazing to see how proper care and patience can transform a formerly broken bird into one with a new zest for life.

If you are considering adding another bird to your household, please consider a second-hand (or more!) bird. We can work with you to find the right companion for your household. Many of the most successful human-parrot bonds we've seen are those that started when the parrot was older. They have lots of love to give and are looking for that chance!