Fred is a gentle Greenwing Macaw.  Along with his wife, Ethel, he came into my care in May.  Although I have provided foster care for other animals over the years, Fred tugged at my heartstrings more than any other.  I had originally thought that Fred and Ethel would be with me for just a short time.  In just a couple of weeks, they will be gone, I thought, “Thank Goodness” because they were loud and obnoxious.  They were also very frightened and they were extremely aggressive. As time went on I noticed some changes.  Fred would always be on the perch by his food dish and wait for me to come in his room in the morning.  I would turn the radio on and Fred would start dancing - swaying from side to side.  We danced and enjoyed our time together.  Fred’s behavior was so touching.

From the medical examination performed when he first arrived, I knew that Fred was very sick.  He has a sore in his throat, full of bacteria including e-coli.  We made regular trips to the vet.  She would clean out the sore.  He would be in so much pain from the procedure that he couldn’t eat.  So, the day he received his throat treatment, along with an antibiotic shot, I would stand and slowly hand feed him pistachio nuts that contained his pain medicine.  This would enable him to eat the next day. 

I have been so blessed to have had the opportunity to watch this majestic bird go from fear to dancing, from lunging at me to trying to feed me, which is a behavior a parrot will do for someone he cares about.  The last two trips to the vet, Fred stepped up onto my arm while we waited to be seen by the doctor.  He knew that I was going to protect him.  During our last trip to the vet Fred climbed up my arm and perched on my shoulder.  He sat there comfortably for probably 20 minutes.  He knew we had to wait for the vet to come in and he was looking to me for comfort.

On July 25, 2008, the CVPS was court ordered to turn Fred over to the same people who had given him such a horrible life.  Also forced to go were his fellow flock members and his wife, Ethel.  From that day forward, Fred must find comfort only in Ethel.

I have been so bothered by this situation and I have been trying to figure out why it has hit me so hard.  It has made me think about the disposable world that we as human beings have created.  We are a disposable society.  I, as a child, was a disposable part of this society.  I felt the pain of being passed around to 5 different homes in as many years every time finding I was in the way or cost to much or I wasn’t as small or as cute as they thought I should be.  So, I guess I am saying this, after 50+ years, to make the point that I know how awful it feels to be a disposable part in this disposable society that we live in.  It is confusing and painful, and yet we continue to do this to people (kids and adults), to dogs, to cats, to birds and to any and all living beings that don’t fit the definition of being worthy in our society.  Shelters are full of throw a way animals; foster care programs are full of throw a way kids who failed to fit into their parents’ lives or idea of what the right color or size should be and many are just not wanted!  Certain people and most all animals are part of our disposable society.

Relationships go through a rough spell and as a society we throw it away and get a new one.  The same goes for dogs, cats and birds.  Puppies, kittens and baby birds are cute.  However, after a time, someone just gets tired of them or bored with them; they grow up, they don't reproduce well enough to meet the profit margin, they get old, they have accidents on the rug, or they vocalize too loud or bite when they get angry or hurt - and people just don’t want them anymore.

We fear that the 31 macaws may go through the same thing in Florida and when the defendants regain possession of them in eighteen months.  I am afraid that it will be the survival of the fittest and Fred and Ethel will not be among the fittest.  In fact, Fred will be among the weakest!  Ethel will probably die from heartbreak if Fred dies.

Ethel was probably stolen from her nest some 30 years ago and brought to the states.  Maybe she had a brief home and maybe she just was put in as a breeder and never knew the companionship of a human being.  A ruthless human being stole her opportunity to be a free macaw and it is likely that a breeder stole the possibility of her being able to receive the love and affection from a human companion.  Stolen was her opportunity to become a trusting Macaw.  I don't blame her for not trusting and being mean and aggressive.  The greatest affection she has ever known was from Fred and now she is in great danger of losing him, of being left alone.

Like Ethel, Fred was probably stolen from his nest and brought to the US some 30 years ago, but I believe that Fred, at some point in his life, was probably a companion pet and somewhere along the way he became Ethel’s mate.  When they were rescued, they had been locked up in a rusty make shift cage - for how many years we don’t know - and they found comfort in each other.

Fred and Ethel are now considered property by the state of Virginia.  Left in a field to endure the cold wind and rain by those who claimed they were “pets” with green, slimy water and hardly anything to eat.  Now the abusers fight for them. However, when Fred and Ethel cannot produce young because they are too old or to sick, they will certainly be disposable.  And, they will be forgotten to death.

Although this sad and totally unacceptable story of the 31 beautiful macaws make us, for a moment, feel beaten, and make us want to give up – make us feel we are fighting a war that can’t be won – we will not give up. We must keep fighting these kinds of injustices.

On the morning of July 25th, Fred and I spent a few quiet moments together before the transfer.  He gently walked up my arm and sat on my shoulder.  We talked and I cried.  I knew what was in store for him and I could do nothing to stop it. Fred’s life or death wouldn't have been in vain.  His life and his story can make a difference for others following behind him.

I know he made a difference in my life.

For The Love of Fred - by Sylvia Wooters, volunteer

In reference to the 31 Virginia Macaws

July 2008

For The Love of Fred