More than 280 cockatoos, macaws and other exotic birds removed from the former World Parrot Refuge in Coombs last summer are still looking for homes.
The Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary, which took in 584 of the birds, continues to care for about 230 on the Lower Mainland, most of them at a home in Maple Ridge.
Another 50 are being housed at a former SPCA building in Nanaimo, but the lease on that facility expires Dec. 1, said Jenny Tamas, Greyhaven’s director of adoptions.
“We’re trying to get an extension on that,” she said. “The City of Nanaimo has been extremely kind, because they don’t pass over possession until
Dec. 15, so we have a bit of a leeway.
“But we’d like to have more adoptions from the Island, if possible — particularly the south end. We’ve exhausted most of the north for good homes.”
Prospective owners have to go through a vetting process to make sure the home is suitable for a particular bird.
“Like cockatoos and macaws — they really don’t go well in rented buildings like apartments and condos, because they’re going to get you an eviction notice,” Tamas said.
“But somebody that lives on an acreage — those are perfect homes because the birds can yell and they can have a good time.”
The Coombs refuge closed in August following the death of its 70-year-old founder last February.
Wendy Huntbatch opposed the trafficking of exotic birds and keeping them as pets, but took in birds no longer wanted by their owners.
Tamas said the Greyhaven sanctuary, which stepped in to care for the birds, is racking up heavy vet and food bills.
The Surrey-based non-profit society reported last July that 150 of the birds required urgent medical attention at a cost of more than $85,000 to that point.
“The food costs alone are probably over $2,000 a month,” Tamas said.
“And we’re paying wages to have people look after them, because you can’t rely completely on volunteers. Yaou have to ensure that somebody’s there all the time.”
She said the society continues to fundraise in order to care for the birds and arrange adoptions.
“How long can we go?” Tamas said. “It all depends on the donations that we get in, because that’s what we’re mainly surviving on.
“But we’re doing fine. I don’t want to make the picture sound bleak, because we’re trying our best, and if we hadn’t stepped in, there would have been huge problems.
“But we do need help with donations and good people to come forward.”
