I write this on the evening of July 26, 2004. Sam passed away today as a result of complications from his surgery. I wish that I could say he had a great life, but to be quite honest, he didn't. One of his first memories was being torn from his parents in the wild at only a few weeks of age. He then endured a scary trip towards the U.S., most likely with no food or water, while watching the majority of the others with him die slow and painful deaths. Upon reaching a pet store somewhere in the U.S., he was promised a great life with lots of love and attention from the purchaser. As with all baby bird purchases, the cute and cudly baby became what the pet store did not tell the buyer what Sam would become - a wild parrot with wild behaviors. What else would anybody think a baby wild parrot would grow up to be? How about a grown up wild parrot. After Sam was tossed around from place to place for many years, he finally ended up in rescue and found something he had never quite known before. Love. This love came from the one place it was meant to come from - another parrot. A Blue Crowned Conure named Chad. Just last night, the two of them were playing together happily on some bamboo, one of their favorite chew things. As they played together, little did they know that it was to be their last playtime together. Despite Sam's newfound love and the constant supply of tasty, healthy food, and of course the endless supply of bamboo, it was far from the life he knew best from previous years - a life of fear, lonliness, and knowing he was unwanted for so long. This is all due to animal exploitation. They are kept for their beauty, while inside they do not feel so beautiful. They are kept for our society's entertainment, or something to look at such as one would keep a fancy and expensive painting around. Sadly, Sam is not the first, nor will he be the last to endure such a life. He should have been left in his parent's nest to enjoy a life of freedom, just where they are meant to be. Remember, parrots have wings for a reason.
-Matt Smith-
For Sam: ???-7/26/04
One last picture together: Chad (top) and Sam (bottom)
One Rescue Story
Feb. 2007
For Sam
July 2004
I received a call that there were birds in Southern New Jersey that needed rescue ASAP. I offered to help out and told her I can accept 4
birds - 2 African Greys and 2 Senegals. This morning I got up before the birds were even awakened by the sun to get them
all fed and watered before starting out for NJ. I arrived around
lunchtime to the following scene. A woman and a man who work
for Animal Care & Control were both wearing breathing masks and
unloading filthy old cages into their van parked out front. I
walked into the front door of the house only to be smacked right in
the nose with the awful smell of cat urine. This smell was soaked
up into everything within the house, even the birds themselves. In
the front room next to a disabled man with a walker was an Umbrella
Cockatoo in a filthy cage with no more than leftover hulls from a
handful of sunflower seeds thrown into his bowl. I wonder how many
days ago he was even fed. The woman was helping this bird out giving
him fresh water and a big bowl full of food. As I walked by him, the Cockatoo bobbed up and down and told me "good bird, good bird". Poor bird.
I walked into the back room to find the 4 birds I was to take back
with me. Their cages were filthy as was the room itself. There
were multiple piles of waste surrounded by multiple cat boxes - all
surrounding the bird cages in this one tiny room. At this point it
was getting hard to breathe and I began coughing - a cough that did
not go away for another hour or so. Both bird cages were padlocked
shut. The cage that the Greys were in - well, that padlock didn't
even have a key. It was evident that no one had opened the cage
door in a very long time. There was about 8 inches of waste piled
up evenly throughout the entire bottom of the cage. I'm not even
exaggerating - 8 INCHES. African Greys growl when the are scared.
They were growling the entire time. They were also frantically
thrashing around in their small cage, hitting perches and other
hanging objects within their cage as it appears they frequently do.
The scrapes and marks on their heads tell me that. There were no
toys in any cages. Nothing but a perch. If anything, at least they
had a mate to share in their misery and were never alone. After
getting all birds out of the cages and into carriers with a soft
towel lining the bottom, I also tried to get a history on the
birds. All are at least 18 years old and have been in this home for
that amount of time. 3 are said to be wild-caught. Imagine that -
being born with the jungle as your home only to end up in the back
room of someone's house surrounded by filth and smelling like cat
urine. All were frightened in the truck ride back to Virginia - the
senegals hiding and the Greys growling. I did, however, at one
point look over and down in the passenger seat to find Grayson (the
Congo Grey) peering up at me with those soft inquisitive eyes as if
to let me know they are scared but also to let me know they still
have a glimmer of trust left in them and the hope that where they
are going they will again be happy. It is 8:15 now and the Senegals
are in a room with fresh air sleeping. The 2 greys are eagerly
munching down on good food in my bedroom. Grayson accepted a peanut from my hand and dove into it like it was the first treat he has
had in a very long time.
One of the Senegals, Jack, upon arriving at the Rescue
Grayson and Ivan's first night at the Rescue
Grayson enjoying his first real toy in ages
Iggy's Adventure
Feb. 2007
In the early summer of 2006, a guest moving furniture out of Lily Kempf's home left the side door open just long enough for her beloved Iggy to make an escape into rural Virginia. Iggy had freed himself but was in great danger. Danger from predators such as the hawk and in danger of not being able to find a reliable food and water supply. Thankfully it was not winter. All of Lily's attempts to find Iggy came up empty.
Meanwhile, Iggy found himself many miles away in a new County - in search of something that looked familiar to him. He found a neighborhood with people congregated around a swimming pool. It is there he found his new family. Without hesitation, Iggy came to the new people and they took him in and provided for him. The new family liked the idea of having a parrot - Iggy sang, danced, and frequently vocalized "Gimme Cookie?". The reality of truly caring for a parrot and properly meeting their needs set in after about 6 months. It was at this time that Iggy's new family, not knowing his real name and now calling him "Cookie", sought our Behavior Assistance. They were not quite ready to give up on Cookie and we were not quite ready to give up on Cookie either. The new family tried to work through Cookie's frequent and loud vocalizations but in the end could not handle it anymore. Three months later we got a call back that life with a parrot is not what they expected it would be and they discovered they are just not bird people. Cookie came to our Rescue after spending only 9 months with his new family.
Iggy at the Rescue
"Cookie" spent only a couple weeks at Project Perry. In that short time he not only touched my heart but he touched most of the visitor's and volunteer's hearts too - along with some really nice bites! He got lots of attention here and changed his mind pretty frequently about which person was his favorite person of the hour. He is a bundle of high energy with an unforgettable "personality". Something was not right. Given the circumstances that the new family acquired this bird plus the clear indication that someone once loved this bird to pieces and was treated great just did not sit right with me. Someone had to have been searching for this little guy nearly a year ago. My gut instinct led me to do some research on the Parrot911 group - an online group that provides information for lost and found companion birds. I found a May 2006 listing in which a Blue Crown Conure named Iggy went missing from the Central Virginia area. After sending out a batch of emails, I had one response from someone who may be able to get the old guardian in contact with me.
The next morning I made contact with a woman named Lily. When trying to establish whether or not this bird was really her Iggy, I asked her to tell me all about Iggy including all of his vocalizations and "phrases". Everything matched up 100% - I had her Iggy here - it was an emotional moment to say the least. I couldn't wait to reunite her and Iggy so I drove a few hours to bring Iggy back home that afternoon.
A story like this is a wonderful example of things happening for a reason, or fate as many call it. Is Iggy a miracle bird or was he just on a nine-month adventure that brought him through the wilderness and into people's homes to touch their lives? I'll never forget you Iggy and I'll miss you but you're back in your real home now.
Iggy and Lily - reunited after nearly a year apart
Most recent stories are at the bottom of the page
Hi Matt,
Thank you SO very much for bringing Iggy home, he's here with me now, and still I find it hard to believe!
-Lily
sometimes HOPE is all we have
UPDATE! Ivan and Grayson get their own 8X8X8 outdoor aviary - May 2007
